No.55 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Red-braised pork belly

Made famous by Fuchsia Dunlop

Photo: lazy fri13th, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, 2006.

Hong shao rou is the most loved home braise in China, and the Hunan version, said to be Mao's favorite, is the one Dunlop made famous in English.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) skin-on pork belly
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1-inch piece ginger, sliced and smashed
• 1 star anise
• 1 small piece cassia bark or cinnamon stick
• 2 to 4 dried chiles (optional)
• Light soy sauce and fine salt, to taste
• 2 scallions, sliced

Steps

1. Put the pork in a pan of cold water, bring to a boil and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough, cut into 1-inch cubes.
2. Heat the oil and sugar in a wok over low heat, stirring, until the sugar melts and turns a dark caramel, 3 to 5 minutes. Watch it closely.
3. Add the pork and toss until every piece is coated in caramel. Splash in the Shaoxing wine.
4. Add the ginger, spices, chiles and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, 50 to 60 minutes, until the meat is very tender.
5. Season with salt and a little soy sauce. Turn the heat to high and boil, stirring, to reduce the liquid to a thick, glossy sauce that clings to the meat, 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Scatter with scallions and serve with rice and a green vegetable.

Chef's tips

• Low heat for the caramel: burnt sugar is bitter.
• Hard-boiled eggs added for the last 20 minutes take on the sauce beautifully.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop: get the book, No. 94 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

← No. 54Mapo tofu→ No. 56Pork and chive dumplings