Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce

1. Marinate the pork pieces with the minced garlic and soy sauces (both light and dark) for about 30 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes as well; this is to soften them so they cook better.

3. While waiting for the marinade to kick the flavour in and the mushrooms to soften, it’s time to prepare the tofu. Cut them to approximately 1-inch cubes. Heat up the skillet with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, thereafter sear all the sides of the tofu slightly. The keyword here is “searing,” not fully frying. This process ensures the tofu exterior is sealed properly so the tofu doesn’t break and crumble when you braise it later.

4. Boil some water in a saucepan. Place the eggs and boil for 5 minutes. Place eggs in room temperature water. Once cooled, peel them and set aside.

5. In a saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the marinated pork and stir fry for about 10 minutes until they are fragrant and your kitchen smells porkilicious. Then add water, black pepper, white pepper, star aniseed powder, cinnamon stick, salt, sugar, soaked mushrooms and the garlic bulb. Bring to a boil on high heat. Thereafter, simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes.

6. Add the boiled eggs that have been peeled. Continue to simmer over low heat for another 15 minutes. Make sure the eggs are covered in the broth so they get a nice even brown colour.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

Enjoy!