Chinese Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou (Instant Pot Style)

Name: Chinese Braised Pork Belly - Hong Shao Rou (Instant Pot Style)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2.2 lb pork belly ((cut into large cubes)); 3 spring onion ((roughly chopped)); 3 garlic cloves ((peeled & sliced)); 5 slices ginger; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; ¼ cup dark soy sauce; ¼ cup rice vinegar; 1/2 cup Shaoxing cooking wine; 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder; 1 tbsp sugar; 5 dried red chillies

By Lee Jackson↣Published On: June 8th, 2020↣

Get a delicious slow-braised Chinese pork belly stew in a fraction of the time, thanks to the trusty Instant Pot. Meltingly tender pork in a fragrant umami sauce that oozes authentic Chinese flavours.

Jump to Recipe Watch Video

Chinese Braised Pork Belly (Instant Pot Style) Hong Shao Rou |

I'm a sucker for Chinese Braised Pork Belly! Meltingly tender morsels of meat - so juicy and perfect - a taste of China with every treasured bite. Braising meat, is one of my favourite ways to cook, and this Chinese braised pork recipe is one of my tastiest. A little goes a long way and the flavour is so intoxicating you'll want to drink it from the bowl...

Chinese braised pork belly is a fragrant, umami laden dish, packed with Chinese flavour. A meltingly tender pork belly sits in a salty, spiced sauce. Hong Shao Rou as it’s known is pretty much perfect.

Braising can take forever, but of course that's why the pressure cooker and more recently, Instant Pot were invented. To take all the wonderful results from slow cooking and put them on fast forward.

Those not familiar with pressure cooking, or those with no interest will be pleased to know I offer you the recipe for both cooking options. Both are simple, only one of you will still be waiting, long before the other has devoured their helping. Just to note, you'll have your slow cooked/fast-tracked treasure in a mere 25 minutes!

Chinese Braised Pork Belly (Instant Pot Style)

Stuff you'll need

To get things moving, fast you'll need a few simple ingredients to create that authentic Hong Shao Rou flavour.

Pork Belly - the fattiest of pork cuts, has that amazing juicy texture that's synonymous with Chinese Hong Shao Rou. You can use other cuts, just ensure they do have some fat, so that the meat stays tender. Tenderloin is not a suitable contender for this recipe.
Aromatics - five spice brings an anise and fragrance to the sauce that is quintessentially Chinese. Ginger, garlic and spring onion (scallions) enhance the aromatics even more.
Umami - the rounded saltiness of soy sauce and acidic notes of rice vinegar and Shaoxing cooking wine complete the fragrance and give the dish its final complex balance.

Step by Step

Thanks to the Instant Pot, this is fast food that is even more convenient than eating out or ordering take out. And it's every bit as authentic and delicious. And even with conventional cooking, it's so easy, it just takes a little longer. Here's just how easy things are either way.

With an Instant pot

Put all the ingredients into the Instant pot
Set for 25 minutes and you're done

With conventional pan on the stove

Put all ingredients into a pan
Simmer gently for 90 minutes and you're done.

Pro tips: Finishing the sauce or not?

Traditionally, Hong Shao Rou has a thick, sticky sauce. My recipe is more of a broth because I like it that way, but to achieve this sticky sauce is super easy. All you need is a tablespoon of cornstarch and a little water combined. Then stir into the bubbling sauce (keep the sauce on a simmer in the Instant Pot), stir briefly and the sauce will thicken. Bubble for 1-2 minutes to cook the flour out and then remove from the heat.

Any questions?

Where is Hong Shao Rou from?

China, from the Hunan region, although it is eaten all across the country.

What does Hong Shao Rou Mean?

The literal translation means braised red pork, the red hues (more russet) from the soy sauce.

Can I freeze Hong Shao Rou?

Absolutely. Cook from frozen in the Microwave, or thaw and cook in a pan until piping hot.

I like to serve at least one other dish alongside the braised pork belly. Something fresh and green to cut through the richness of the meat is essential. My Chinese cucumber salad is another super-simple dish to prepare - no cooking involved! If you're up for a little light stir frying then maybe try my Snow Pea Sprouts with Garlic.

All in all, Hong Shao Rou is one of my favourite braised pork belly recipes and made even more appealing by the speedy Instant Pot. I'll let you decide if you want conventional or pressure cooking or a soupy broth or sticky sauce, but in any eventuality, I'm sure you'll agree that this is one delicious pop of flavour!