easy 30 minute "lu rou fan" recipe using a clay pot

i love cooking with my clay pot and this is your sign to start

dear friend,

it was close to 5 p.m., and I was deciding on what to make for dinner—stir-fried Cantonese tomatoes and egg or Taiwanese "lu rou fan" with braised minced pork belly. Being the chaotic, masochistic kitchen wizard that I am, I was going to make a new recipe to challenge myself. I adapted the braised minced pork belly recipe from the James Beard-nominated “Made in Taiwan” by my friend Clarissa Wei.

In her book, Clarissa called to braise the pork belly for at least 1 1/2 hours, but I didn’t have the luxury of time that night. Plus, I was hungry — hangry even. Sometimes I wish I could just sit down at the dinner table and have hot dinner served to me. But alas, I am a servant leader in the household, managing all the meals and meal planning. My mom used to help a lot, prepping the food and cleaning up afterward, but she had broken her right shoulder and must keep her dominant arm in a sling at all times. So, I also have to prep meals that are easy to eat with a spoon or a fork — no knife or chopsticks.

I decided to cook everything in a clay pot, which, while slow to heat up, gets pretty hot once it’s preheated nicely. Clay pots are porous and allow for even heat distribution, circulating hot steam and enhancing the flavors and moisture of the dish. They retain heat well, keeping food warm and making them perfect for dishes requiring gentle, prolonged cooking. By preheating the clay pot and using its excellent heat retention, I quickly cut the braising time from 1 1/2 to 2 hours to just 30 minutes, achieving tender and flavorful pork belly.

Now, in no way do I claim the authenticity of this dish. My husband is half Taiwanese but identifies more with his Filipino side. I have not trained with any Taiwanese chefs. This dish was something I quickly cooked up for my family while adapting a recipe from a friend. And it was so delicious that I have to share it with you.

reel for reference:

katlieu

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Without further ado, right after I plug my latest cookbook…

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Kat Lieu’s easy clay pot “lu rou fan” (TAIWANESE PORK RICE BOWL, 卤肉饭) recipe

Serves: 4 people

The most time you will spend is dicing the pork belly into mini cubes. You can always be lazy and dice larger cubes or slices of pork belly.

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 pounds skin-on pork belly

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

• 1/4 cup light soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons Japanese or Taiwanese michiu or rice wine

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons glutinous rice flour

• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

• Dash of MSG

• White pepper, to taste

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 2 shallots, diced

• 2 star anises

• Cooked white rice for serving

• Store-bought fried garlic or shallots

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Pork Belly: (The most time you will spend is dicing the pork belly into mini cubes. You can always be lazy and dice larger cubes or slices of pork belly.)

   • Par-boil the pork belly for 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry when cool enough to touch. Dice into tiny, 1/4-inch cubes.

   • Alternatively, you can dice the pork while it is still raw and partially frozen and skip the par-boiling step.

2. Mix the Sauce:

   • In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, glutinous rice flour, five-spice powder, MSG, and white pepper until the sugar dissolves.

3. Cook the Aromatics and Pork:

   • Heat a clay pot over medium-high heat until it smokes, and add the neutral oil.

   • Toss in the garlic, shallots, and star anises and stir fry until aromatic and the garlic is golden.

   • Add the diced pork and cook until the meat is lightly browned and the fat renders, a few minutes.

4. Braise the Pork:

   • Stir the sauce mixture before pouring it into the clay pot.

   • Raise the heat to high while stirring the pork. Once the sauce bubbles and boils, lower the heat to very low and cover the clay pot with its lid.

   • Let the pork braise undisturbed for 20 minutes. Then, open the lid and give the pork a stir. Braise for another 10 minutes until the pork is tender and the braising sauce has thickened and reduced.

5. Serve:

   • Scoop a generous portion of the braised pork over a bowl of hot white rice.

   • Top with store-bought fried garlic or fried shallots.

   • Enjoy your delicious clay pot “lu rou fan”!

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This method ensures the pork becomes tender and flavorful in a shorter cooking time, perfect for a quick yet satisfying meal. I hope you enjoy! And here’s a little secret for my premium subscribers….