Often, the simplest recipes turn out best! This Chinese Five-Spice Braised Pork Belly is all that. There is nothing complicated in this recipe, yet it comes out so flavorful and delightful.
This delicious and aromatic braised pork reminds me a little bit of Filipino adobo. It’s very simple, too, and yet so wonderfully tasty.
I am a huge pork fan, having grown up in the Philippines and eating it. My mom used to raise pigs for our consumption.
She really fed the hogs well, and I am sure we had lots of wonderful dishes as a result. That would have included adobo, menudo, mechado, etc., among other Filipino dishes that use Pork.
I thoroughly enjoyed this pork dish, especially with rice drizzled with its wonderful sauce. If you love Chinese flavors and adobo from the Philippines, you’re sure to love this.
If you are looking for an easy braised meat dish, I highly recommend this.
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Ingredients for Five-Spice Braised Pork Belly
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Kilo / 2.2 Lbs Pork Belly, sliced
5 Tablespoons, Dark Soy Sauce*
2 teaspoons, Five Spice Powder
1 inch-ginger (roughly thumb-size), peeled then thinly sliced (like matchsticks) or julienned
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
*Use a wheat-free brand if you wish to have a gluten-free version.
How to Make Five-Spice Braised Pork Belly
Heat the oil in the wok. Add the brown sugar. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and turns light brown. Add the pork slices. Stir the pork in the sauce until they are well coated.
Pour in the soy sauce and water. Stir in the salt and Five-spice powder. Add the ginger slices. Bring to a boil. Cover and then simmer gently over low heat for about 45 minutes or until the meat is fully tender.
Adjust to taste by adding extra soy sauce or salt, or a little sugar, if desired. Do that to balance the flavors to your liking. I think the flavor is just right/perfect, but feel free to adjust it to your taste preference. Serve on top of freshly steamed rice with your favorite green vegetables on the side. Delicious!
Adapted from the recipe Braised Five-Spice Belly Pork from the Asian Cook by Terry Tan.
Five-Spice Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Oil, of choice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2.2 Pounds (1 kilo) Pork Belly, sliced
- 5 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce, use a wheat-free brand if you wish to have a gluten-free version.
- 1 inch ginger, roughly thumb-size, peeled then thinly sliced or julienned
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the wok. Add the brown sugar. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and turns light brown.
- Add the pork slices. Stir the pork in the sauce until they are well coated.
- Pour in the soy sauce and water. Stir in the salt and Five-spice powder. Add the ginger slices. Bring to a boil. Cover and then simmer gently over low heat for about 45 minutes or until the meat is fully tender.
- Adjust to taste by adding soy sauce, salt, or a little sugar, if desired. I think the flavor is just right/perfect but feel free to adjust it to your taste preference. Serve on top of freshly steamed rice with your favorite green vegetables on the side. Delicious!
Last updated on July 16th, 2024 at 10:43 pm
This Looks delicious as usual Abby! Miss you, I;m glad you are back and safe! Hugs, Lizy
Thanks, Liz! You are so sweet, thanks for stopping by.
G'day! Got another vote for this looks delish, true!
Normally, I am not a braised pork type of gal, but your recipe and photo makes me want to do too!
Cheers! Joanne
Oh Joanne, you should try this. Truly flavorful! Thanks for stopping by.
Wow, this looks delicious Abby. Another beautiful creation from you. x
Thanks, Charlene! Glad you came by.
My lola raised pigs too! And everyone in our family loves eating pork!
I may be getting old but I still love pork once in a while.
Is the dark soy sauce similar to our pinoy soy sauce, or do I need to get the chinese one? Thanks!
You can use either. Am sure it's fine. I used Kikkoman.
A friend of mine gave me a link to this recipe a few years ago and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve used it, it’s delicious. My only question is about the sugar. Is it Chinese brown sugar? If so, is there a substitute I could use as I can’t get my hands on any and other sugars I’ve tried so far don’t seem to work…. I’ve had some lovely burnt caramel in my experiments though! 🙂
Author
Sorry that I have missed this comment. It’s just any regular brown sugar – dark or light, whichever you prefer. Glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for letting us know.
I love pork belly, lechon kawali, bagnet, lechon paksiw… but I’m not a big fan of five spice powder. I don’t mind a little bit in a recipe but I don’t like it when it’s the dominant flavor. Do you have any suggestions what I could substitute for it? When I’ve searched for a replacement I get similar flavored spices.
Author
If you don’t like five spice then this isn’t the recipe for you. You can try this recipe and instead of chicken – use pork belly. Red Cooked Chicken