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Red-Braised Pork Belly (红烧肉)

Name: Red-Braised Pork Belly (红烧肉)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 lbs pork belly, cut into 1.5-inch cubes; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine; 2 oz rock sugar; 4 slices fresh ginger; 3 scallions; 2 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 cups water

Red-Braised Pork Belly (红烧肉) reads umami 9.3, richness 7.4 and salinity 5.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese main, about 1 hr 40 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 10.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 9.3 · Richness 7.4 · Salinity 5.8 · Sweetness 5.2 · Warm Spice 5.0 · Funk & Ferment 3.5 · Allium 3.1 · Herbaceous 2.0 · Smoke 1.8 · Floral 1.4 · Earthy 0.9 · Bitterness 0.9 · Nutty 0.8 · Sourness 0.7

What's in it (10)

2 lbs pork belly, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1/3 cup Shaoxing wine
2 oz rock sugar
4 slices fresh ginger
3 scallions
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups water

Time & effort: about 1 hr 40 min (20 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 261.7 kcal, 6 g protein, 23.3 g fat, 8.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Blanch pork belly cubes briefly, then sear in a little oil until lightly browned.
Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauces, rock sugar, and aromatics, cover with water, and braise on low heat for 1.5 hours.
Uncover and reduce the sauce until it clings thickly to the pork.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Shanghai Red-Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou) — Chinese · Jiangnan
Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork (Mao Shi Hong Shao Rou) — Chinese · Hunan
Rafute (Pork Belly Braised in Awamori and Black Sugar) — Japanese
Braised Short Ribs in Five-Spice Soy — Chinese-American
Twice-Cooked Pork Belly (Huiguorou) — Chinese · Sichuan

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.