recipe
Glazed sticky pork with cassia, star anise, black vinegar and eggplant
This dish is based on a specialty of Shanghai called hong shao rou, or red braised pork. When you see this on a menu or in a recipe title, you can expect an indulgent and complex dish, but it’s actually surprisingly simple to make. I often forget that the alchemy of Asian flavours can be re-created so quickly at home, and this dish in particular is totally novice-friendly. For what is a relatively quick cooking time, the results are quite spectacular – richly sticky and deeply flavoured pork in a shimmeringly glossy sauce.
If you can, use free range or organic pork as it really shines in this dish and provenance matters. Chinese spices and sauces tend to make average pork or meat taste better, but when you make the dish with outstanding organic pork, it’s a game changer.
Once braised and glazed, the pork juices and fats emulsify and make a sweet, sticky sauce that delivers a pure pork flavour. During this process the fat and skin of the pork become tender and gelatinous. Pan frying the pork aggressively enough is probably the hardest step, as it spits quite a bit. If this is an issue, do it all in a deep pot instead of a wok and then adjust to a slow braise from then on.
The eggplant is not a traditional part of the dish, but I love its uniquely soft texture and absorbent nature against the succulent pork belly. The cassia and star anise lend a gentle background note of warmth and really complement the rich nature of the pork belly. I used medium little eggplants cut in half, but you could easily slice and dice a large eggplant with the skin on and use large pieces in the braise.
Time: 10 minutes preparation + 1 hour and 20 minutes cooking
Serves 4-6
- 6 boneless pork belly ribs (about 1kg), each cut into 8 pieces
- 1 eggplant roughly cut into large dice totalling 400g
- olive oil for frying
- 12cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
- 1 bunch spring onions (scallions), white and green parts cut into 4cm batons
- 1 white salad onion cut into eighths
- 450ml Shaoxing rice wine
- 80ml dark soy sauce
- 120ml light soy sauce
- 2 piece cassia bark
- 4 star anise
- 2 tsp ground white pepper
- 90g rock sugar or demerara sugar
- 1.5 litre chicken stock or half water and half stock
- 80-100ml Chinese black vinegar or brown rice vinegar
- shiso leaves to garnish
- Heat a wide wok or deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add half the pork to the dry pan and fry until the fat renders out. Cook until golden brown all over (about 10 minutes) and then remove from the pan and set aside. Do the same with the remaining pork.
- Add the eggplant to fry in the pork fat in the pan and seal for three minutes – add a little olive oil if required – then remove the eggplant and set aside.
- Add a little more oil if needed and add the ginger to the pan for about two minutes. Return the pork to the pan and add the onions and stir-fry for two minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the rice wine. Simmer for two minutes.
- Add the soy sauces, cassia, star anise and pepper. Add the sugar and stock, topping up with water to cover, if necessary, then simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
- Add the sealed eggplant and continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes until all is tender.
- Stir in the vinegar and reduce the sauce down to a syrupy glaze. Watch closely, as it can catch! You want it to be thick but still saucy. Taste it at this point and add a dash more vinegar to sharpen if necessary. The liquid and fat residue will come together with the sugar to make a glossy syrup. If reduced too far, the glaze may split, but a little hot water will bring it back.
- Serve scattered with shiso leaves or extra spring onion slices and a bowl of white rice.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on July 26, 2025 as "Braised and glazed".
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