5-Minute Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly Hong Shao Rou Recipe | Rice Cooker Hack

I'm Mandy. Welcome to Souped Up Recipes. Today, we're making Chinese red braised pork belly in a rice cooker. This is going to be the easiest pork belly dish you will ever make. All the prepping only takes 5 minutes, which is literally effortless and food proof, and you will end up with tender flavorful pork coated with a rich glossy sauce. You're gonna love it. You'll need 1.5 pounds of skin on pork belly. The skin is full of gelatin, which helps the sauce turn rich, thick and glossy. Slice it into long strips, then cut into bite-sized pieces, about the size of a thumb. Since pork belly is naturally fatty, I recommend choosing a leaner cut for the best balance. Place it into the rice cooker, along with 6 scallions, 5 cloves of garlic, 5 slices of ginger, 1 stick of cinnamon, and 3 bay leaves. The cinnamon and bay leaves are optional. I personally love the extra aroma, but my sisters don't, so I sometimes skip them. Either way, the dish will turn out delicious. Don't stress about it at all. Season it with ¼ cup of sugar, 3 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine, 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp of dark soy sauce, and optionally, 1 tbsp of Sichuan Doubanjiang. If you don't eat spicy food, just use 1 tbsp of oyster sauce instead. Pour in 1-2 cups of water, and mix well. We don't want a lot of water, just make sure the liquid level is slightly below the ingredients. Because rice cooker's heat is generally low, if you add too much water, it will take forever for the sauce to reduce. Press the cook button, and let it cook for 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Every rice cooker's setting is different. For example, my rice cooker is pretty stupid that its longest time setting is 1.5 hours, and it will stop cooking. I have to press the start button again so it can continue. During cooking, feel free to open the lid to check the doneness, and adjust the cooking time based on the consistency of the sauce. If the liquid still looks thin, just let it go longer. As the liquid reduces, the color starts to darken, the sauce turns thick, glossy, and sticky, and the pork becomes melt in your mouth tender. How simple is that? Take out the soggy scallions, ginger slices, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves, and you're ready to enjoy. The flavor is absolutely irresistible, and it goes so good on top of white rice. It's so easy that you have no excuse not to make it. Of course, if you don't have a rice cooker, a regular pot, a slow cooker, or an instant pot will work just as good. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, the printable recipe link is in the description. Go check it out. Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more easy and authentic Chinese food. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you next time. Bye!