Ingredients
Scale
- 3.5 # bone-in pork shoulder
- 6 eggs
- ½ daikon (about ½ pound)
- 2 Tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
- 4 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
Sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 4 Tablespoons packed brown sugar (either light or dark is fine)
- ½ cup shaoxing wine
- 1 cup water
- Garnish:
- Chopped scallions and cilantro
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife cut out the thin flat bone in the middle of the pork. (I throw the bone in with the rest of the meat; it adds more flavor as it cooks).
- Trim the fat off of the pork and discard.
- Cut the pork into wide strips about 1 ½ inches and then into large 1 ½ inch cubes. Set aside in a bowl.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pork and stir it into the boiling water. Cook it for about 1 minute and then drain the pork in a colander, rinse it under running water, and shake it a couple times to eliminate as much water as possible. Put it back into the bowl.
- Add the mushroom soy sauce to the pork and toss the pork to evenly coat the meat with the mushroom soy sauce.
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat for several minutes. Add the oil, swirl to coat the pot, and then scoop the pork out of the bowl, leaving any remaining soy sauce in the bowl.
- Put the pork into the pot in one layer and leave it to sear for 30 seconds. Now stir fry the pork for 1-2 minutes, letting it sear untouched for 15-30 seconds every time you stir it. You are building color and flavor by caramelizing the surface.
- Add the star anise, cinnamon, and smashed garlic and stir it into the pork. Next add the wine, soy sauce, water, and brown sugar.
- Bring the contents of the pot to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to medium low. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring a couple of times throughout the cooking time.
- In the meantime, prep the daikon radish and boil the eggs:
- Put the eggs into a small pot and cover the eggs with water so that you have 1 ½ inches of water over the eggs. Bring the water to a simmer over medium high heat and then lower the heat to medium to maintain the simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain and place the eggs in an ice bath to cool them quickly and keep them from forming the bluish ring around the yolk. Cool for 5 minutes and then peel the eggs and set them aside.
- Peel the daikon and slice it in half lengthwise. Cut the daikon into ½ inch thick slices. Set aside.
- Once the pork has been cooking for 40 minutes, add the daikon, pushing them down into the sauce. Cover again with the lid and cook for another 35 minutes, again stirring a couple of times through the cooking process.
- Push a fork through the meat or take a little taste. The meat should easily flake and be tender and flavorful. If it’s still a little firm, continue cooking for 10-15 more minutes.
- Add the boiled eggs and move them to the bottom of the pot so they can cook in the sauce. Cook for another 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork, daikon, and eggs, to a platter. You can strain out the cinnamon and star anise with the spoon or leave it in if it doesn’t bother you.
- Pour the sauce over the meat and garnish with some scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Keywords: red pork, shanghai style pork, red cooking, chinese food, braise