Braised Pork Belly in Root Beer

Hi my friends........ I have been quiet lately with my posting as I have been unwell and didn't really done much with my baking and cooking.

Well, if I am not really in the mood to cook, braising meat is the solution for me because I feel it is easy to cook.

This is the first time I am using a fizzy drink "Root Beer" to braise meat and I was really in doubt how the taste would came out.  

Braised Pork Belly in Root Beer

Recipe from Noob Cook  with slight changes  

 

Ingredients

8 dried Chinese mushrooms

4 eggs

1-2 tbsp cooking oil

500 grams pork belly

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 can (330 ml) root beer

750 ml water

1 cinnamon stick (桂皮)

1 star anise (八角)

4 cloves (丁香)

1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder (五香粉)

1.5 bulbs garlic separated into individual cloves (no need to peel)

dashes of white pepper powder to taste

1-2 tbsp light soy sauce *

1 tbsp sugar to taste *

1-2 piece tau kwa (fried beancurd/豆干) quartered

spring onions or coriander garnishing

Method

1.  Soak dry mushrooms in small bowl of hot water until puffy, then drain water. Squeeze

     out the water from mushrooms and trim away stems. Set aside the mushroom.

2.  Prepare 80% cooked hard boiled eggs. To do that, place eggs in saucepan of cold

      water (enough water to cover eggs one layer). Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, turn

      off the stove and cover with lid for about 7 minutes (for 100% hard boiled eggs, it’s

      about 10 minutes). Rinse the eggs with cold water until eggs are cooled. Peel when

      cool enough to handle. Set aside.

3.  Heat oil in casserole (wok, claypot or deep pot). Brown pork belly on both sides on

      medium heat. Add 1 tbsp dark soy sauce on both sides of browned pork belly.

     Add the rest of the ingredients except eggs, tau kwa and spring onions/coriander.

     Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer (with lid partially closed) for an hour, or

     until the meat is tender.

4.  During the last 10 minutes of simmering, add eggs and tau kwa. To serve, slice pork

      belly to smaller, bite-sized pieces. 

*  Add the light soy sauce and sugar according to your preference taste.

This dish is delicious; with 1 hour slow braise the meat is tender and you wouldn't even taste that the root beer is added in because the spices are much stronger in its taste and aroma!

Remember to serve this together with your favourite chilli sauce........