Braised Pork Belly in Soy Bean Paste

Tender braised pork belly served up with a thick soy bean paste spiced with cinnamon and star anise. It speaks of comfort food. Use meat cuts like pork belly and pork shoulder for the most tender texture!

Braised pork often features in a lot of my favourite meaty dishes that I cook at home for the family. I love this version of braised pork in soy bean paste because it’s very delicious, super easy and requires little effort.

this recipe

You see, I grew up on my mother’s cooking that often involved hours of braising with exciting combinations of sauces, condiments and spices.

As a kid, I never minded helping Mom watch the braising liquids, stirring the pot, and hovering about in our hot, steamy kitchen. To me, it was just as fun as play time!

And it’s how my cooking as an adult, was most influenced.

About braised pork in soy bean paste

This braised pork is a traditional dish with Straits Chinese influence. It’s the kind of comfort food that you’ll be hard pressed to find on any Chinese restaurant menu these days.

I know it looks rather unexciting and dull, but I’ve got to say that this dish is all about getting the most tender-textured and succulent pork.

In fact, when done right, the pork becomes as tender as pulled pork, and comes apart effortlessly.

And in the process of getting there, the braising liquid is reduced to a thick, robust and flavourful sauce. All you need is a generous drizzle of this thick gravy over the meat and rice or noodles, and you’ll be impressed.

Ingredients for braised pork in soy bean paste

What I love about this dish is the relatively short list of ingredients. If you’re having a day when you can’t think of putting in too much effort, this dish is just the perfect choice.

The ingredients are not only easy to source but the chances are, you already have these in your pantry if you’ve been doing some Chinese or Asian cooking.

• pork belly
• garlic
• ginger
• spring onions
• cinnamon
• star anise
• light soy sauce
• dark soy sauce
• Chinese wine
• salted soy bean paste

What is soy bean paste

If you’ve never cooked with soy bean paste before, be sure to choose one that says salted or fermented soy bean paste (tau cheo).

There are also jars of salted soy beans sold in Asian supermarkets or grocery stores.

These aren’t in a paste form, but the flavour is the same and you can simply mash these beans until paste-like.

Soy bean paste is not to be confused with fermented red bean curd or other types of soy bean products.

Cooking braised pork in 3 easy steps

Stir fry the aromatics

• In a Dutch oven or skillet, stir fry ginger, garlic, and spring onion in hot oil until they release their fragrance.

• Add cinnamon bark and star anise, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Next, add water and bring to a boil.

Braise the meat together with seasonings

• Tip in the seasonings and put in the pork belly.

• Once the liquid comes to a boil again, reduce the heat until the mixture is at a steady simmer. Braise for a good 2 hours or so, until the pork is tender through, or as tender as you’d like it.

• If the liquid reduces too quickly before the pork is tender enough, add a bit more water and as often as needed, and continue braising until it reaches the tenderness you want.

• Dish out the pork and set aside.

Cook the sauce

• Strain the braising liquid into a small saucepan set over medium heat. If there isn’t much liquid left, add some water and bring to a gentle boil.

• Sweeten with sugar and maltose (or honey), to your taste, to balance the saltiness of the soy bean paste. Thicken with corn starch slurry until it has the consistency of a thick glaze.

How to serve this dish

Slice the braised pork into 1-cm thickness (or thinner, if you prefer) and arrange on a serving plate. Spoon the thick sauce all over the slices. Garnish with chopped spring onion, cilantro or parsley. Serve immediately.

Which dishes pair well with braised pork?

I love having any kind of braised pork served over steamed rice with some sliced cucumbers on the side.

Because you really get to taste the authentic flavour and juicy texture of the meat, and even more delicious with this amazing sauce drizzled over.

Left-overs can be sliced thinly and easily used up in your favourite fried rice or noodle recipes, or veggie stir-fries, so nothing goes to waste!

But if you want to turn this into a rounded dinner meal for the family, this dish will go well with a veggie dish like Chinese-style fried bitter gourd omelette and a classic Chinese soup, watercress soup with pork ribs and honey dates.

I do hope you’ll try this out! Until next time – xx Celia

Here are more pork recipes you may like:

• Braised Pork Belly and Eggs in Soya Sauce. This heart-warming dish of tender-braised pork and eggs is delicious over steamed rice, drizzled with sauce, or with piping hot porridge, and as meat stuffing for plain buns.
• Pork Belly in Soy Sauce (Tau Yu Bak / Lou Bak) The flavour of soy sauces, soy bean paste with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, shallots and spices makes this dish bold, complex and very addictive!
• Chinese-Style Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork. Cook this restaurant-quality crispy sweet and sour pork using a double dredge and double fry technique. Plus, get the best recipe for a perfect sweet and sour sauce.
• Mapo Tofu (Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork and Bean Curd) An iconic Sichuan pork and tofu stir-fry that’s bursting with heat, spice and aroma.
• Babi Pongteh (Nonya Braised Pork in Fermented Soy Bean Sauce) This Peranakan or Nonya dish of babi pongteh is a version of braised pork in fermented soy bean sauce with bold sweet-salty, savoury flavours!

Tried this recipe? I’d love to see! Remember to share your pics on Instagram and tag @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.