Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl)
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: September 7, 2020
Fragrance all the way with this beloved Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl) – 滷肉饭 – tender pork belly in a sauce supercharged with flavour, all over a bed of fluffy rice. It’s pure perfection.
Rice bowls are everyone's favourite, right?! This Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl) 滷肉饭, is amongst the tastiest you're ever likely to experience. The flavours are so balanced and deeply satisfying. Sweet, aniseed, salty and savoury! It's an umami explosion.
It's also quite similar in its flavour to Chinese Hong Shao Rou (Braised Pork Belly), albeit with smaller cut pork, making for the most perfect Chinese ragù sauce!
What's Ahead?
What is Lu Rou Fan?
Lu Rou Fan is a dish that some say originated in the Chinese province, Shandong, but which is now beloved by the Taiwanese. It consists of pork, chopped finely, ground or minced which is then slow-stewed with regional spices to create a type of ragù.
Lu Rou Fan is typically with rice but also over noodles. In some regions of Taiwan, ground pork is replaced with pork belly, cut into small pieces. The addition of hard boiled eggs has become something of an 'essential' accompaniment, but not a hard and fast rule - it's up to you, but I strongly advocate the eggs!
Interestingly, the meat sauce is seen as a mere seasoning to the rice and used sparingly. When I've eaten Restaurant style Lu Rou Fan, I've often had that 'western' shock that there's not much meat on the plate. But the idea is that the sauce is there to highlight the starchy, filling rice, is something that I have to conclude (even as a greedy person) that I'm not mad at!
Why it works?
It's packed with umami - that all essential Asian umami is present here with all the salty fragrance. It's a deeply satisfying burst of flavour.
It's a meal in a bowl - everything you could possibly want and need is there in the bowl. A harmonious marriage of flavour, colour and texture.
Stuff You'll Need
Making Lu Rou Fan at home is simple. Here's what it takes.
- Pork belly - my recipe uses tiny pieces of juicy pork belly which become tender as they cook.
- Spice Bag - we make a simple spice bag with a few fragrant ingredients: star anise, fresh ginger, bay leaves, orange peel, Sichuan peppercorns and a cinnamon stick.
- Onion, mushroom, garlic give a depth to the sauce.
- Seasonings - sugar, soy sauce, black vinegar, Shaoxing cooking wine and 5-spice all add their unique character to the sauce and create the complex umami flavour.
- Garnishes - The all important egg is a must have and I love the addition of crispy shallots. I buy them pre-fried and try to stop myself eating handfuls before I've cooked the dish!
Step by Step
Making Lu Rou Fan couldn't be easier to make at home. Here's how:
- Step 1 - Fry the onion, mushroom and garlic together until soft.
- Step 2 - Add the pork belly and sear for a few minutes.
- Step 3 - Add the spice bag with the whole spices in it, and the other ingredients along with some water and simmer for 1 hour.
- Step 4 - Boil some eggs for 8 minutes, peel them and add to the sauce. Cook for another 40 minutes. The egg will take on the colour of the sauce.
That's it! The meat should be nice and tender and ready to serve. Simply add some cooked rice to the bottom of a bowl and spoon over some of the meat and sauce. Half the egg and place both halves on top. Finally sprinkle with a little spring onion/green onion and the crispy shallots.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
This is a one-dish dinner, so I don't serve it alongside anything else. I'll often add alternative toppings depending on what I have at home.
- Substitutes - sometimes I'll top with Chinese pickled or preserved vegetables like mushroom or mustard greens. I'll also add things like radishes, beansprouts, fried garlic, micro greens, chopped peanuts, chilli oil, and sesame seeds.
Storage
- Fridge - you can store in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Reheat until hot. If you're using a microwave, remove the boiled egg first.
- Freezer - the sauce freezes very well but the boiled eggs do not so remove before freezing. Just add some freshly boiled, fried or poached eggs to the top of your rice bowl when reheating frozen.
Ready to get cooking?
So, as you see, making your own delicious Taiwanese Lu Rou Fan at home is not that difficult at all! And let me tell you it has so much flavour, a real warm burst of the most perfect marriage of flavour and fragrance. You'll soon make it one of your go-to rice bowl favourites. Hope you enjoy!
More Asian rice and noodle bowl recipes
Love a rice or noodle bowl? Here are a few more rice and noodle bowl favourites.
Any Questions? (FAQ)
Have a question about? Let me know in the comments.
Lu Rou Fan 滷肉饭 is 'Braised Pork Rice' - Pork slowly cooked with seasonings which is then spooned over white rice. It is a treasured and comforting dish in Taiwan.
Typically hong shao rou (braised pork belly) features large pieces of pork whereas the pork in lu rou fan is smaller. Both feature similar ingredients to braise the meat.
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lb pork belly (cut into small pieces)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup onion (finely chopped)
- 6 shiitake mushrooms (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled & finely chopped)
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp black vinegar
- ½ cup Shaoxing cooking wine
- ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
Spice bag spices
- 4 star anise
- 4 slices ginger (fresh)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried orange peel powder
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- ½ cinnamon stick
Other
- 1 hard boiled egg per person
- 4 tbsp fried shallots (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok and fry the onion, mushroom and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the pork and stir fry for a further 5 minutes to brown. Add the sugar, light soy, dark soy, vinegar, Shaoxing wine, 5-spice and stir for a minute before adding 2 cups of water.
- Put the star anise, ginger, bay leaves, orange peel, Sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon stick into a small spice bag. Secure and add to the meat.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook, covered for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, carefully add the eggs to a small pan of boiling water. Cook for 8 minutes then drain and cover with cold water. Remove the shells straight away - they won't stick if they're still hot. Discard the shells and leave the peeled eggs in the water.
- After the meat has cooked for an hour, pop the peeled eggs into the sauce and cook (uncovered) for a further 30-40 minutes. The eggs will take on the colour of the sauce.
- Remove from the heat and serve.
Serving
- Spoon a few spoonfuls over boiled rice and serve a halved egg per person. Sprinkle with crispy shallots and a little spring onion. Serve hot!
Notes
- Substitutes - sometimes I'll top with Chinese pickled or preserved vegetables like mushroom or mustard greens. I'll also add things like radishes, beansprouts, fried garlic, micro greens, chopped peanuts, chilli oil, and sesame seeds.
Storage
- Fridge - you can store in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Reheat until hot. If you're using a microwave, remove the boiled egg first.
- Freezer - the sauce freezes very well but the boiled eggs do not so remove before freezing. Just add some freshly boiled, fried or poached eggs to the top of your rice bowl when reheating frozen.
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