Hong Shao Rou

Hong Shao Rou Red Braised Pork

Little known outside the Asian Community, Hong Shao Rou, (红烧肉) literally, red braised pork, is succulent morsels of pork belly simmered in an aromatic, rich soy-based broth until tender.  I first experienced this dish in Macao, where the softened, anise-infused pork was nothing short of a revelation.  Hong Shao Rou belongs to a class of very traditional Asian dishes known as red cooking, which employs a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, vegetables and dou fu (See Fuscia Dunlop's excellent red cooked recipes in her Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook).

Recently, the dish has gained some cache on the Mainland because it is known to be one of the late Chairman Mao's favorite dishes, and according to an article in the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, he considered it "brainfood."  (see Malcom Moore's article), 

Since the unctuous pork belly has weaseled its way into the Western fine dining scene, Red Cooked Pork should find an enthusiastic audience in the U.S.; however, one will rarely see Hong Shao Rou offered at stateside Chinese restaurants.  This is a bit baffling, since it is very easy to make, and irresistibly tasty. 

2 lbs pork belly, lean and fat, skin on, cut into sections approx 4" x 4"

3 round Tab sugar

3 cups chicken stock, low sodium

2 - 2" x 1/4" pc cinnamon

2 star anise

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 1" x 2" slices of ginger, skin on.

1/3 cup soy

1/4 cup Shao Xing wine or dry sherry

1 TAB dark soy

In enough water to just cover the pork, poach belly in simmering water (“cuan” 汆) for 4 minutes or so, then remove.  When the pork has cooled enough to handle, cut into cubes appx. 1 1/2" x 2" and in two batches, brown in a hot wok or cast iron skillet with 3 or 4 Tab peanut oil or lard.  Be careful, this entails lots of spattering…Remove and set aside.  In the same pan, on med heat, add the sugar and stir until melted and beginning to caramelize.  Add back in the pork belly pieces, and toss until coated and further browned with caramelized sugar.

Transfer the pork and residual oil/sugar mixture to a 3 -4 quart sand pot or sauce pan; add the chicken stock to cover pork pieces, cinnamon, star anise, garlic, ginger, light soy, wine, and dark soy.  Bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for approximately 1 hour, until pork lean layers are tender but still moist.   As soon as meat is done, remove meat and boil to reduce sauce.  When liquid has reduced to desired consistency, turn off heat.  Return pork belly to the pot and mix to coat; serve in sandpot or plate with garnish of cilantro and carrot or red pepper slivers

Gan Shao Ji Chi (Braised Chicken Wings)

This is recipe is not a Chinese version of those famous fried wings originating in Buffalo, New York.  But like many cultural and scientific phenomena, the Chinese were way ahead of us.  They have been eating chickens for 32 centuries, and since it has never been the Chinese habit to waste anything, we can assume the wings were eaten for a similar number of years.  When it became a separate “delicacy” however, is not known.

Chicken wings are a beloved snack in most places in China.  And you will find braised wings, both sweet and spicy versions, sometimes on a skewer, sometimes awaiting a dip in the huo guo pot.  This recipe utilizes the gan shao or dry braised, cooking method, with soy and sugar, served as a snack or appetizer, and is relatively easy to make in a wok; I’ve moderated the sweetness with a bit of vinegar.  Bring plenty of napkins to the table!

24 sections of chicken wings (about 2  3/4 lbs.)
2 Tab rock sugar or brown sugar
1 Tab sweet soy
1 Tab light soy
1 Tab rice wine (or sherry)
1 Tab rice wine vinegar
1 round Tab finely minced ginger
1 green onion, finely minced
2 tsp ground bean sauce
1 Tab hoisin sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
Peanut oil for frying

Clean and dry the chicken wing sections.  You may include the wing tips if desired.  Marinate chicken in the sugar, sweet soy, soy sauce, rice wine and wine vinegar for at least an hour or overnight.
For convenience, combine the bean sauce and hoisin sauce in a small dish.  Mince green onion and ginger and set aside.
Drain the chicken thoroughly, reserving all the marinade,  then pat the chicken pieces dry with a towel or paper towel.   Heat a deep fryer or wok with 2 – 3 cups of oil to 325 degrees; carefully lower 6 or so chicken pieces into the oil and arrange the pieces evenly with a bamboo strainer.  As you turn and move the wings, keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.  The sugars in the marinade will caramelize very quickly.  Fry wings briefly until the skin is a mahogany-brown color, then remove and set aside.  Repeat until all the chicken is browned.  Turn off heat and remove all the frying oil; if using a wok, rinse out when cool enough, and dry on med heat.  Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of peanut oil; when it just begins to smoke, toss in ginger and green onion and stir fry until it just begins to brown, then add bean sauce and hoisin.  Stir fry for a minute or so and add the reserved marinade and stock.  When the liquid boils, gently lower chicken pieces into the liquid and turn the heat to low so that the wings will simmer gently.  Cover and braise chicken pieces for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the wings are cooked through, remove the lid and increase the heat.  Reduce the liquid until it coats the chicken and no longer puddles in the bottom of the pan.  Remove and arrange on a platter.
Men ji chi can be served hot or cold, but in either case be sure to provide lots of napkins!

Chi You Ji (Soy Sauce Chicken)

Soy Sauce Chicken  (mandarin: chi you ji  Cantonese: Si Yauh Gai)

There might be as many recipes for Soy Sauce Chicken as there are chickens; some cooks call for browning the bird, others do not.  Some would have you braise the poultry in soy sauce only; others add any number of spices, honey, maltose, pork and chicken stock, and so on.  Indeed, Chinese cuisine has a strong tradition of braising foods in stocks and sauces, especially soy sauce.  But since Chinese cuisine has a common method of soy braising called hong shao, (red cooked), which includes in the liquid dried orange peel, star anise, cinnamon,  and Sichuan peppercorns, among other things, I think the name Soy Sauce Chicken should be reserved for those soy braised dishes which are simpler in preparation, and “cleaner” in taste.


Professional chefs have countless tricks up their sleeves, and among the most necessary for this dish is carving cooked poultry for attractive presentation.   At the very least, chopping whole chickens and plating them in an appetizing way requires a sharp cleaver, a Gray’s Anatomy for birds, and a lot of cleanup.  One of my more clumsy jobs of carving is pictured above; but the chicken was far better than it looks.

3.5 lb whole fryer

2 tsp Sichuan Peppercorn, roasted and ground
1 Tab grated ginger

2 pods star anise
3-4  crushed garlic cloves

3 Tab rock sugar (note: sub cane sugar if necessary)

2 Tab sweet soy sauce
1 Tab sweet black vinegar
1 Cup light soy sauce
3 Tab rice wine

Wash the chicken and scrub the skin vigorously with salt to make the skin more receptive to the marinade.   Rub the mixture of grated ginger and peppercorn into the bird inside and out.  In a wok, stir fry the crushed garlic and anise until the garlic begins to brown, then add the sugar, soy sauces, vinegar and wine.  Bring to a boil, then allow to cool.  Place this marinade in a bowl, add the chicken, rolling the bird to coat with marinade.  Marinate for 6 hours or more, turning the chicken several times.

Drain the chicken well and reserve marinade; heat wok to med high with 2 –3 Tab of oil, then brown the bird on all sides.  Combine the chicken and marinade in a heavy pot or clay pot with lid, placing the bird breast side up.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover for about 35 minutes.  Without uncovering the pot, turn off heat and allow to set for another 35 – 40 minutes.  Uncover, check the dark meat for doneness, and if the juices run clear, remove and allow to cool for 20 – 30 minutes.  With a sharp, heavy cleaver,  cut the bird in half lengthwise,  cut off wings, legs and thighs, then chop each breast and back sections into 3 pieces.  Arrange on a platter and garnish with sesame oil and cilantro.