Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly Recipe (2024)

August 22, 2016 by Jeanette 10 Comments

Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly is a special occasion dish that always receives rave reviews.

Pork belly buns are very popular these days. It’s funny, because pork belly is a very traditional Chinese food. I’m glad people are finally discovering just how delicious this cut of meat is. It’s definitely a special occasion dish.

I made this Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly recipe for the twins’ 21st birthday and for an Asian themed party recently. It has received rave reviews from everyone who’s tried it.

My Aunt Florencemade Chinese Pork Belly when my family visited her apartment in the Bronx as a kid. I didn’t appreciate how decadent pork belly was at the time – I just knew it was simply delicious. I did remember that my aunt’s version was steamed, not braised.

I scoured several Chinese cookbooks to figure out how to make this special dish. First of all, you need to find some good quality pork belly. This is a special occasion meal, so this is not the time to skimp on the fat. I actually bought a leaner pork belly the first time around and found it way too dry. Whole Foods carries pork belly and I’ve had good results with it.

The cooking process is a two step process. The second part of the cooking process is similar to braising, but it is done in a large steamer.The slow steaming process helps release a lot of the extra fat from the meat, which can be easily skimmed off if you refrigerate it overnight.

Step 1: Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly

First, the pork belly is cooked whole with some ginger, scallion and garlic to firm up the meat and make it easier to slice.

Next, once the pork belly is cool, cut it into thick 1/2″ pieces.

Then, place the pork belly skin side down in a heat-proof dish.

Step 2: Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly

Now, a braising liquid is made by first sautéing scallions, ginger star anise and cinnamon until fragrant.

Then, add dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, rice wine brown sugar and water.

Next, pour the braising liquid on top of the sliced pork belly.

Finally, cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper and steam gently for 1 1/2 hours.

This recipe does take some time to make, but can be made ahead of time. In fact, I prepared this over two days and reheated it on the day of our party. I did the first step of cooking the pork belly in the aromatics one day, then steamed the pork belly in the braising liquid the next day. I then refrigerated the pork belly overnightand scooped off the excess hardened fat the next day.

How To Serve Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly

Serve Chinese Five Spice Pork belly stuffed inside of steamed Chinese buns with thinly sliced cucumbers, hoisin sauce and minced scallions for an appetizer. Two per person is more than enough because pork belly is so rich. – people will be so impressed.