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Melt-in-Your-Mouth Dong Po Rou (Braised Pork Belly)

Name: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Dong Po Rou (Braised Pork Belly)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients: pork belly; young ginger; Shaoxing wine; Leek or Scallion; rock sugar; bay leaves; cinnamon stick; star anise; Chinese white rice wine; light soy sauce; dark soy sauce; water; green onion

groups4 servingsspeedEasycountertopsPrep: 15 minsskilletCook: 80 minsscheduleTotal: 95 minsoutdoor_grillPressure-cooked

Allergens:warningSoywarningGlutenwarningSulphites

Allergen labels are AI-generated and may be incomplete or wrong. If you have a food allergy, always verify every ingredient yourself.

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

6 Steps Total

Active Cooking

00:00:32

warningStay safe

Handle boiling water and hot tongs carefully when removing meat to avoid hot water splashes.

Place 700g pork belly skin side down into a pan with room temperature water before turning on the heat. Add 1 thumb size sliced young ginger (15g) and 2 tbsps Shaoxing cooking wine. Turn on medium heat and bring to a boil; boil continuously for 10 minutes while skimming scum off the water surface. Remove pork belly, rinse thoroughly under clean tap water, and let cool.

local_fire_departmentmedium heat, 10 minutes boil

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Watch out

Place pork belly into room temperature water before heating

adding raw meat into boiling water causes meat fibers to tighten instantly, trapping unpleasant odor inside

Ingredients:pork bellyyoung gingerShaoxing winewater

Tools:granite panslotted spoonTongs

Preparation

00:01:25

Transfer blanched pork belly onto a cutting board. Cut lengthwise into half, then cut into 6 neat square cubes (about 5cm x 5cm each). Wrap butcher's string crosswise around each pork cube, securing it firmly like a parcel with a knot, then trim off excess string with kitchen scissors.

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Watch out

Tie string securely around the pork belly

during prolonged pressure cooking, meat becomes very soft and will lose its square shape if string is loose

Ingredients:pork belly

Tools:kitchen scissorschef's knifebutcher stringcutting board

Preparation

00:02:50

In the inner pot of a multi-cooker, place 1 stalk of leek halved lengthwise at the bottom to form a base. Spread 30g thinly sliced young ginger on top of the leek. Arrange tied pork belly cubes skin side down on the aromatics, leaving small gaps between pieces. Add 50g rock sugar, 2 bay leaves, 1 broken cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 250ml Chinese white rice wine, 4 tbsps Shaoxing wine, 125ml light soy sauce, and 4 tbsps dark soy sauce. Pour in enough water (approx. 1000ml) to fully submerge the pork belly.

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Watch out

Place pork belly skin side down on top of leek bed

direct contact with pot surface may burn and stick pork skin during cooking

Ingredients:Leek or Scallion (1 piece)young ginger (30 g)pork belly (700 g)rock sugar (50 g)bay leaves (2 piece)cinnamon stick (1 piece)star anise (1 piece)Chinese white rice wine (250 ml)Shaoxing wine (4 tbsp)light soy sauce (125 ml)dark soy sauce (4 tbsp)water (1000 ml)

Tools:multi-cooker

Active Cooking

00:04:14

warningStay safe

Do not force open the pressure cooker lid while hot pressure remains inside to prevent steam scalding.

Close and lock the multi-cooker lid. Set to pressure cooking mode and cook under high pressure for 1 hour until pork belly is thoroughly tender and fat layers soften into a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

local_fire_departmenthigh pressure, 60 minutes

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Watch out

Ensure the pressure relief valve is properly closed before cooking and wait for full pressure release before opening the lid.

Tools:multi-cooker

Active Cooking

00:04:46

warningStay safe

Beware of hot bubbling glaze spitting from the pot while sauce thickens.

After pressure cooking, safely release pressure and open the lid. Switch multi-cooker to open-lid sauté mode (or medium heat on stove). Simmer sauce vigorously for about 10 minutes to reduce it down until it bubbles rapidly and becomes thick, dark, and glossy. Test consistency with a metal spoon: sauce is ready when it coats the back of the spoon smoothly.

local_fire_departmentmedium heat (open lid), approx. 10 minutes

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Watch out

Do not reduce sauce excessively until completely dry

keep enough liquid so it turns into a shiny rich glaze without burning the sugars

Tools:spoon

Active Cooking

00:05:15

Carefully lift braised Dong Po Rou pork cubes out of the pot and arrange in a serving dish. Spoon the rich reduced sauce generously over the pork, garnish with finely shredded green onions (1 stalk), and serve hot alongside steamed white rice.

Ingredients:green onion (1 piece)

Tools:serving dish