Red-Braised Pork Belly with Daikon and Star Anise

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Melting cubes of skin-on pork belly braised low and slow with ginger, star anise and Shaoxing wine, then finished with sweet-savory daikon that soaks up every drop of the glossy sauce. A sugar-free take on Shanghai-style hong shao rou that stays deeply rich and syrupy thanks to a little monk fruit sweetener and a hard reduction at the end.

Ingredients

• 2 lb skin-on pork belly, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 lb daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1-inch half-moons
• 5 stalks scallions, whites cut into 2-inch lengths, greens thinly sliced
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into thin coins
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed

• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp granulated monk fruit erythritol sweetener
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 whole dried red chiles
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Put the pork belly cubes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 3 minutes, skimming off the gray foam, then drain into a colander and rinse the pork under warm water. Pat the cubes very dry with paper towels — dry pork browns instead of steaming.
2. Heat the avocado oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the pork in a single layer, fat side down where possible, and sear undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until deeply golden. Turn and brown the remaining sides, 4 to 5 minutes more. Spoon off and reserve all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the scallion whites, ginger coins, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir constantly for 60 to 90 seconds, just until the aromatics smell fragrant and the garlic turns pale gold.
4. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and scrape the bottom of the pot as it bubbles, about 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, monk fruit sweetener, salt, white pepper and chicken broth. The liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the pork.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the barest simmer, cover, and cook for 60 minutes, stirring once or twice. The pork should be knife-tender with the fat fully softened.
6. Add the daikon, pushing the pieces down into the liquid. Cover and simmer 30 minutes more, until the daikon is translucent at the edges and completely tender.
7. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and boil hard for 10 to 15 minutes, basting the pork with the liquid every few minutes, until the sauce reduces to a glossy syrup that coats a spoon. Fish out and discard the star anise, cinnamon stick and chiles.
8. Turn off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and let the pot rest 5 minutes so the sauce clings. Spoon into shallow bowls with plenty of sauce and shower with the sliced scallion greens.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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