Braised Pork Belly with Olive Oil
The Spring Festival is around the corner, and it's another year for family reunions~ Preparing a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner is not only a way to wish your family a prosperous and festive Spring Festival but also a way to pamper your loved ones and yourself. The New Year's Eve dinner should be both festive and hearty while maintaining nutritional balance. I’ve prepared several options for the festive menu. To highlight the vibrant atmosphere of the celebration, it’s essential to have classic Braised Pork Belly on the dinner table. But making this usually rich dish healthy and delicious is an art. When it comes to Braised Pork Belly, almost every household has its secret recipe—each unique and special. While watching the show “Chef Nic,” I noticed Nicholas Tse used Olivoila Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make a dish of poached beef. It was surprising to see how such an oily-looking dish became light and less greasy with the help of olive oil. This sparked the idea of using olive oil for Braised Pork Belly. So this time, I specifically chose Olivoila Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the designated oil for “Chef Nic.” This oil is crafted from high-quality Mediterranean olives, cold-pressed within 24 hours to preserve the first-press oil rich in olive polyphenols and other active nutrients. It’s versatile for dressings, as well as short-duration high-temperature cooking. It’s a must-have in the kitchen, and when used for Braised Pork Belly, it enhances the sauce's glossy red color, infuses the meat with a subtle olive fragrance, and makes it flavorful without being heavy.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare all the needed ingredients:
Cut the pork belly into cubes (about 1 inch each), chop the spring onion into segments, slice the ginger; crush the rock sugar into small pieces and set aside.
Place the meat into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil over medium heat to remove blood scum. Remove and rinse the meat thoroughly with hot water.
Heat 15ml olive oil in a pan, add the small rock sugar pieces and stir-fry over low heat until caramelized (make sure to crush large pieces beforehand and stir constantly over low heat).
Add the pork belly to the pan and stir-fry over low heat until the meat releases some oil and is evenly coated in caramel.
Add the spring onion, ginger slices, star anise, and cinnamon stick, stir-frying until aromatic.
Add cooking wine, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce, and stir well.
Pour in enough hot water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
When the sauce has reduced to about 1/3, remove the ginger slices, spring onion, star anise, and cinnamon stick.
Turn up the heat to medium and reduce the sauce until thickened. Be careful not to let it dry out completely, leaving just the oil behind.
A bowl of glossy, flavorful, olive-scented, and not-too-greasy Braised Pork Belly is now ready to be served. Enjoy!