Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)

Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly (hong shao rou, 红烧肉) is a very famous dish in China. Everyone knows hong shao rou (red cooked pork) is a Shanghai favorite.

Recipe by Judy on April 14, 2014

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT60M

Total time: PT75M

Rating

4.86 stars (270 reviews)

Keywords

braised pork belly

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean, skin-on pork belly
2 tablespoons oil ((any neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil))
2 tablespoons rock sugar ((or granulated sugar))
1/3 cup Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2-3 cups water ((see note))

Cuisine

Chinese

Steps

Cut your pork belly into 3/4-inch thick pieces. Add them to a medium pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, and boil for about 1 minute, or just until the pork turns opaque. This removes impurities and starts the cooking process. Take the pork out of the pot, rinse, and set it aside. Discard the water and clean out your pot.
Over low heat, add the oil and sugar to your wok or pot. Melt the sugar, and add the pork. Raise the heat to medium, and cook until the pork is lightly browned.
Reduce the heat to low, and add the wine. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water.
Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until pork is fork tender. Every 5-10 minutes, stir to prevent burning and add more water if it gets too dry.
Once the pork is fork tender, if there is still a lot of visible liquid, uncover the wok, turn up the heat, and stir continuously until the sauce has reduced to a glistening coating.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 443 kcal
Carbohydrates: 4 g
Protein: 9 g
Fat: 52 g
Saturated Fat: 17 g
Cholesterol: 61 mg
Sodium: 411 mg
Sugar: 3 g

Reviews

Millette on 2026-08-06 (5 stars):
Greetings. I LOVE this Chinese dish; howe er, I need to use Pork Shoulddr due to fat of belly meat. Is there anything different? Do I just increase the cooking time?
Laura 小田 on 2026-07-31 (5 stars):
For years I've made Hongshao Rou, our favorite Chinese dish, with stevia because my husband and I are mostly keto. I know, ugh, right? But we liked it. However. Today I broke down and made it with rock sugar, following Judy's recipe.. mostly! (Couldn't resist the scallions, ginger, and star anise that we love so much.) But, oh, what a glorious difference! We both loved it and just enjoyed looking at it glistening in the beautiful 景德镇 soup bowl I bought in Shanghai in 1983 on my first trip to China.. the one remaining survivor out of 6. I don't think we can go back (to stevia, not China!) I made your classic broccoli with garlic sauce to go with it. Perfect meal. We're still basking in it.
Ada on 2026-07-27 (5 stars):
Beyond delicious, skin turned soft, very simple recipe too. Family loved it, was gone in 10 minutes.
TomHall on 2026-06-14 (5 stars):
Made this tonight with home grown pork belly. Didn’t have dark soy sauce or rock sugar and the family says it’s a number 10. Thank you the many recipes I’ve gotten off this website!
Lance on 2026-06-10 (5 stars):
Every time I do this recipe I look through comments. I am doing it again for friends tonight. Probably the second dozen time I have done it. So, looking at comments: This is pork belly. Half pork fat. If cooked properly, as above, it is not greasy. One must use skin on pork belly, as stated above. And it should be as lean as one can find. My Asian store has belly from Denmark. Four or five dollars a pound. Lean. Skin on. The skin on gives texture to the dish— and this is important. If I cook this in my wok it takes about 90 minutes to render down. Sometimes I need my wok for a second dish. Wok is hotter. It takes more time in a pot. Take the lid off a pot after couple hours and let the moisture go. Watch. Don’t burn! Takes a couple hours or more in pot, watching. Let it be thick and red and perfect. Read the recipe. Dark soy sauce is crucial. Look at chairmen Mao Hunan version for more spice. That is now my favorite. Last comment. Serve with greens. It is fatty. Which is why I need my wok for that second dish of greens. Oh, serve with rice! Thanks guys! I love these dishes. I won’t make more comments.