Braised pork belly is a delicious dish that provides high nutritional value and is very popular in family meals. Today, TasteVN will head to the kitchen to share with you 3 ways to make braised dishes that are rich, appealing, and incredibly enjoyable!
1. Braised pork belly in fish sauce
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised pork belly in fish sauce Serves 4
Pork belly 500 gr Minced garlic 3 cloves Minced shallots 5 bulbs Chopped green onions A little (finely chopped) Rice wine 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 4 tablespoons Cooking oil 5 tablespoons Chili powder 1/2 teaspoon Common spices A little (ground pepper/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate)
Required tools
Ingredient image
How to cook Braised Pork Belly with Fish Sauce
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Prepare the pork belly
After purchasing the pork belly, wash it thoroughly and cut it into small pieces, about the size of one finger joint.
To eliminate the unpleasant smell of the meat, place a pot on the stove and boil about 1 liter of water. When the water starts to boil, add the cut pork and blanch it for about 1 minute. Then, remove the pork and let it drain.
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Sauté onions and garlic
Place a pan on the stove and add about 5 tablespoons of cooking oil. Once the oil starts to heat up, add the chopped shallots and garlic and sauté until golden over medium heat.
Tip: To achieve the desired golden crispiness and to prevent the onions and garlic from burning, you should remove them before they turn brown, as they will continue to cook after being removed from the hot oil.
Once the onions and garlic have reached the desired state, use a sieve to strain them out and retain the oil.
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Fry pork belly
Place a pot on the stove, add 3 tablespoons of oil for frying garlic and onion along with 2 tablespoons of sugar and caramelize the sugar until it turns into color sauce.
Note: To save time, you can also buy ready-made color sauce available in the market at markets or supermarkets.
When the sugar has turned a reddish-brown color, add the prepared pork and stir well. Season with 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of rice wine. Stir well to let the pork absorb the spices over medium heat.
Add the fried garlic and onion, stir well and simmer the pork over low heat until the liquid reduces.
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Finished dish
The braised pork belly served on a plate with a little green onion will be very eye-catching due to the shiny golden brown color of the meat, the appealing aroma of the sauce mingling with the fish sauce and spices. The meat is tender, evenly soaked in the sticky sauce, and when eaten with rice, it brings an unforgettable flavor.
2. Braised pork belly with soy sauce
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Pork Belly with Soy Sauce For 4 people
Pork belly 500 gr Minced garlic 5 cloves Minced shallots 2 bulbs Cinnamon 1 stick Star anise 5 pieces Soy sauce 2 tablespoons Dark soy sauce 2 tablespoons Oyster sauce 2 tablespoons Sesame oil 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 teaspoon Common seasoning a little (salt/ sugar)
Tools needed
Ingredients image
How to Prepare Braised Pork Belly with Soy Sauce
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Prepare the pork belly
When you buy pork belly, wash it with diluted salt water, then rinse it with clean water, and let it drain.
Cut the meat into small pieces about the size of two fingers.
Tip: If the meat smells, you can briefly blanch it in boiling water to remove the odor!
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Prepare the other ingredients
Peel the garlic and shallots, rinse them clean, and then chop them finely.
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Stir-fry the pork belly
Heat a pan on the stove with 1 spoon of cooking oil, add the cinnamon sticks and star anise to roast until fragrant over medium heat.
Tip: To enhance the dish, you can add a little Sichuan pepper to roast along with it.
When the cinnamon and star anise are fragrant, add the pork belly and stir-fry until browned over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
When the meat is browned evenly, add the chopped garlic and shallots and stir-fry for another 3 minutes.
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Braised pork belly
Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil into the pan and stir well for the meat to absorb the seasoning evenly.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the meat for about 10 minutes until it is tender.
Tip: If the sauce is too thick, you can adjust it by adding a little water to thin it out.
When finished cooking, you can remove the cinnamon and star anise, adjust the seasoning to taste, and then turn off the heat.
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Final product
The soy sauce braised pork belly when completed will have the aroma of soy sauce blended with cinnamon and star anise.
The meat will have a shiny dark brown color and be evenly infused with seasoning; when bitten into, it will have a salty flavor with a hint of sweetness, and when eaten with the thick sauce, it will be very appetizing. To balance the flavors, you can serve the dish with some boiled vegetables!
3. Braised pork belly (recipe shared by user)
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
35 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised pork belly (recipe shared by user) Serves 4
Pork belly 500 gr Green onions 1 stalk Shallots 2 bulbs Garlic 3 cloves Lemon 1 slice Chili pepper 1 piece Crispy batter mix 1 tablespoon Honey 1 tablespoon Chili sauce 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Cooking oil 100 ml Common seasonings a little (seasoning powder/ MSG/ ground pepper)
Tools needed
Ingredient images
How to cook Braised pork belly (recipe shared by user)
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Prepare the meat
After purchasing, rinse the meat a few times to clean it, then briefly boil it for about 10 minutes with 1 stalk of green onion, 1 bulb of shallot, and 1 thin slice of lemon.
Peeled 1 bulb of shallot and 3 cloves of garlic, then wash and finely chop. Wash the chili pepper and slice it thinly.
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Marinating the meat
Next, you marinate the meat with a mixture of spices including 1/2 spoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 spoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 spoon of ground pepper, 1 spoon of fish sauce, 2 spoons of cooking oil, and 1/2 of the chopped shallots and garlic for about 25 – 30 minutes.
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Making braised meat sauce
Mix the seasoning mixture including: 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/4 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of ground pepper, 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, chopped chili, the remaining minced shallots and garlic, and 2 tablespoons of water in a bowl, then stir the mixture well.
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Making fish sauce braised pork belly
Place a pan on the stove, heat 70ml of cooking oil over medium heat. Dip the end of chopsticks to check; if small bubbles start to form around the chopsticks, add the marinated pork belly to fry.
When the meat is evenly golden, remove excess oil from the pan, then add the braised meat sauce prepared earlier, drizzle it over the meat and braise on low heat until the sauce thickens.
Remember to taste and adjust the seasoning before turning off the heat and plating!
Tip: To prevent oil from splattering while frying pork belly, add 1 tablespoon of crispy frying flour or cornstarch.
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Final Product
Slice the pork belly into thin pieces for easy eating, then arrange them on a plate, while also decorating with washed lettuce and cilantro around to make the dish look really appealing!
The pork is tender and sweet, soaked in the rich sauce with a slight spiciness, creating an incredibly attractive flavor. Wrap the meat in fresh vegetables and dip it generously in garlic chili fish sauce that is sour and spicy, and enjoy it fully, you will feel the wonderfully harmonious balance between the fatty, salty braised pork belly and the fresh vegetables.
It truly is a delicious dish that cannot be refused, perfect for treating the family on a weekend dinner, isn’t it!
How to choose fresh and delicious pork belly
- You should choose fresh pieces of pork that are bright red, with a good balance of lean meat and fat, and a harmonious ratio of lean to fat.
- Additionally, prioritize pieces that feel resilient to the touch and are not mushy, with the distinctive aroma of pork.
- Avoid buying pieces that are pale white, darkened, and have a slimy yellow surface, or that emit an unpleasant odor.
Tips to prepare pork without odor
- Method 1: First, you can blanch the pork in boiling water over high heat for about 3 – 5 minutes, then rinse it clean, drain it, and start cooking.
- Method 2: To effectively remove odors, you can soak the pork in diluted saltwater with a bit of white wine for about 5 – 10 minutes.
- Method 3: You can also add a few stalks of lemongrass to boiling water to blanch the pork for about 5 minutes, then take it out and rinse it clean before cooking!
Above is the complete detailed guide on 3 ways to make braised pork belly that is extremely delicious and appealing to change the flavor for your family meal. TasteVN wishes you success in making it and enjoying wonderful moments with your family!
