Asian Braised Pork Belly Recipe (VIDEO)
Tender Braised Pork Belly simmered in soy sauce and warm spices until melt-in-your-mouth soft—my grandma’s signature Lunar New Year celebration dish.
Rich, glossy, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly simmered in soy sauce, aromatics, and warm spices — this is the kind of dish that makes the whole house smell incredible. The pork turns incredibly tender, coated in a deep caramelized sauce that’s savory, slightly sweet, and perfect over hot rice.
This recipe is similar to my Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice. If you don’t know what to cook for Lunar New Year, check out my Top 12 Favorite Dishes for Chinese New Year.
My Grandma’s Signature Dish
This braised pork belly is my grandma’s recipe — and it’s her signature dish for Lunar New Year and special celebrations. Growing up, whenever this showed up on the table, we knew it was a big occasion. She always said the key was patience: low heat, slow braise, and letting the sauce naturally thicken into that beautiful glossy coating. It’s rich, comforting, and deeply nostalgic for me.
Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make the Best Braised Pork Belly:
- Pork Belly: It is best to get pork belly that has equal parts of fat and lean meat. The layers of fat and meat become tender and silky during the long braise, creating that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Rock Sugar: Essential for caramelization. It creates the signature glossy finish and adds a gentle sweetness that balances the soy sauce.
- Star Anise & Cinnamon: Add warmth and spice to the dish.
- Soy Sauce: I used a combination of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce in this recipe.
- Taiwanese Cooking Wine: growing up, this is what my grandma always use in her dishes. If you can’t find Taiwanese cooking wine, you can also use Shaoxing wine or other Chinese cooking wine.
- Garlic, Ginger, and Scallions: adds aromatic depth to the braising liquid.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Let’s Make Asian Braised Pork Belly!
- Brown the Pork: Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium-high heat. Arrange pork belly pieces in a single layer and sear until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Caramelize the Sugar: In the same pan, add oil and rock sugar and cook until melted and bubbling.
- Coat the Pork: Return pork to the pan and stir to coat in caramel to get that glossy look.
- Add the Flavor: Add star anise, cinnamon, dried chilies, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry until fragrant.
Step 5: Add cooking wine to deglaze the pan. Then pour in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Step 6: Cover with a lid and cook for 1.5–2 hours, until the pork is fork-tender.
How to Serve Braised Pork Belly
Garnish with chopped scallions, pour sauce on top, and serve with hot rice.
Substitutions & Variations
- No rock sugar? Use brown sugar.
- Can’t find Taiwanese Cooking Wine (Michiu)? Use Shaoxing Wine or any Chinese cooking wine.
- Add boiled eggs: Braise peeled hard-boiled eggs in the sauce.
- Less spicy: Skip dried chilies.
- Extra depth: Add a splash of black vinegar at the end.
Equipment
Dutch Oven or Large Cooking Pot
How to Storage and Reheat
To Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container up to 3-4 days.
To Reheat: Warm gently on stovetop or microwave until warm.
Top Tips for Success
✨ Use pork belly with balanced fat and meat layers.
✨ Don’t rush the caramel stage — color equals flavor.
✨ Keep a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil.
✨ Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
✨ Reduce sauce at the end for shine.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Asian Braised Pork Belly Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lb pork belly, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, I used avocado oil
- 2 tbsp rock sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed
- 5-6 slices ginger
- 3 scallions, chopped into 3 sections
- 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick, or 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 3-4 dried chilies
- ¼ cup Taiwanese cooking wine, (Michiu)
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- ¼ cup dark soy sauce
- 2 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large pot or wok over medium-high heat. Arrange pork belly pieces in a single layer and sear until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of neutral oil and rock sugar. Cook until melted and bubbling. Let it caramelize into a deep amber color — this builds the signature glossy finish.
- Return pork to the pan and stir to coat in caramel.
- Add garlic, ginger, scallion, star anise, cinnamon stick, and dried chilies. Stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add cooking wine to deglaze the pan. Then pour in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 1.5–2 hours, or until the pork is fork-tender.
- Remove the lid. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce the sauce for a few minutes until thick and glossy. *Depending on the amount of your meat and liquid, it might take more time to reduce the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped scallions and serve with hot rice. Pour the sauce on top of the rice if desire, and enjoy!
