There are others who confuse Rou Zao Fan with Lu Rou Fan. To be sure, not! There are fewer fragrant spices needed for this Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork. It’s got a gentler flavor, like Hong Shao Rou.
Extremely tasty, and a better option for those controlling their weight than traditional braised hong shao rou because of the reduced number of calories and fat content.
The sugar, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine proportions, as well as any additional aromatics, are where the two styles diverge, despite their many shared features. Meat type and cube size are also considered when formulating these dishes.
For convenience, you can purchase pre-ground pork from the butcher, but you may also start with a piece of marbled pig shoulder or hog butt and chop it by hand with a cleaver. The resulting texture and flavor are far superior.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 ounces of dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 pound of ground pork
- 5 eggs
- 2 star anise
- 0.5 ounce of rock sugar
- 2-3 cups of water
- 1 cup of finely diced shallots
- 1/4 cup of chopped scallions (white and green parts)
- 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of five spice powder
- salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- After removing any dirt, immerse the dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for at least 2 hours to bring them back to life. Dice into 14-inch pieces after squeezing off the liquid. Save the liquid from soaking (you will use it later in the recipe).
- Cut up a pound of pork shoulder or butt using our hand-chopping method if you choose. In the end, the texture will be superior if you do it this way. Grounded pork from the store works just as well.
- In a wok, heat the oil to medium heat (2 teaspoons). For 1-2 minutes, or until the shallots become translucent, sauté the ginger and shallots. Cook the mushrooms for 2 minutes after stirring them in.
- Turn the stove up to high. Mix in the ground pork and star anise, along with an extra tablespoon of oil. Keep cooking until the meat becomes opaque.
- When the pork is done cooking, deglaze the pan with the Shaoxing wine by stirring it in. Two cups of water (including the water from soaking the mushrooms), rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, five spice powder, and the mushroom soaking water. Any sediment left over from soaking the mushrooms should be discarded.
- Coax to a boil by increasing the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered, once boiling. Heat to medium/medium-low.
- Hard-boil the eggs while you wait. For this, you’ll need to bring a medium pot of water to a full boil. Don’t worry about cracking the eggs’ shells when you lower them into the water with a large spoon.
- For 30 seconds, bring to a boil, then simmer. For 10 minutes, cover, reduce heat, and cook eggs. Put into a bowl of icy water. After they have cooled to the touch, you can peel and wash the eggs.
- Incorporate the eggs into the pork after 20 minutes of simmering, making sure they are well covered by the sauce. Now, add another half to a full cup of water to make sure the eggs are completely covered by the liquid. Ten more minutes of simmering with the lid on should do it.
- Turn over the wok’s cover. Reduce the sauce on medium-high heat while stirring gently so as not to scramble the eggs if necessary if it is too watery.
- Add the scallions and a pinch of salt, and stir. Serve the Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork Over Rice and top with an egg, halved if desired.