Bendigo-Style Chinese Braised Pork with Vegetables
Tender pork belly gently braised in fragrant soy, ginger, and star anise with fresh market vegetables in the Chinese-Australian goldfields tradition.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy-based saucepan or wok
- •chef's knife
- •chopping board
- •wooden spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 36 g
- carbs
- 14 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 26 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the pork cubes in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil for 3 minutes.
- 2
Drain the blanched pork thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.
- 3
Heat the peanut oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.
- 4
Add the ginger, garlic, and spring onion whites, frying for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 5
Add the pork cubes and brown lightly on all sides for 4 minutes.
- 6
Scatter the brown sugar over the meat and stir until melted and lightly caramelised.
- 7
Pour in the Shaoxing wine, scraping up any browned bits from the pan base.
- 8
Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, and water.
- 9
Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover with a lid for 40 minutes.
- 10
Add the carrots and wombok, then cover and cook for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- 11
Stir through the reserved spring onion greens just before taking off the heat.
Chef's tips
Blanching the pork first removes impurities and ensures a clean, glossy braising sauce. If the sauce looks too thin after the vegetables soften, remove the lid and simmer gently for 5 minutes to reduce.
Ingredient substitutions
- Shaoxing wine → dry sherry or extra water with 1 tsp rice vinegar
- pork belly → boneless pork shoulder diced into 3 cm cubes
- wombok → savoy cabbage or pak choy
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a small saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water until piping hot throughout.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the braise too rapidly, which makes the pork tough instead of melt-in-the-mouth tender.
- •Adding the tender cabbage too early, causing it to become overly mushy and watery.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Bendigo-Style Chinese Braised Pork with Vegetables?
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