Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl

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Taiwan's beloved Lu Rou Fan features melt-in-your-mouth pork belly slow-braised in a sweet-savory soy sauce glaze, spooned over fluffy steamed rice. This iconic street-food classic balances caramelized shallots, rock sugar, and five-spice into a glossy, deeply flavored topping. A few hard-boiled eggs simmered in the sauce turn it into a complete, soul-warming meal.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 720 kcalCalories
• 38 gFat
• 13 gSaturated Fat
• 62 gCarbs
• 2 gFiber
• 9 gSugar
• 32 gProtein
• 1180 mgSodium
• 610 mgPotassium
• 80 mgCalcium
• 4 mgIron
• 4 mgVitamin C
• 50 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the pork and braise

• 1.5 lb pork belly, skin-on, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 5 large shallots, finely sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

For the braising liquid and seasoning

• 1.5 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1.5 tbsp rock sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled (optional)

For serving

• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
• 1/2 cup pickled mustard greens (suan cai), chopped
• 2 tbsp scallion greens, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp crispy fried shallots

Directions

1. Rinse the jasmine rice until water runs clear, then cook with 2.5 cups water using a rice cooker or covered pot until fluffy and tender; keep warm.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the diced pork belly and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to render fat, then stir and brown lightly on all sides for another 4 minutes. Pour in the rice wine to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits.
4. Stir in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, five-spice, white pepper, star anise, and cinnamon. Pour in the water or broth and bring to a gentle boil.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender and the sauce has reduced to a glossy, syrupy glaze that coats the back of a spoon.
6. Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs to the pot during the last 20 minutes so they absorb the savory flavor and turn a rich mahogany color.
7. Discard the star anise and cinnamon stick. Taste and adjust with a pinch more sugar or soy if needed; the sauce should taste slightly sweet, salty, and deeply savory.
8. Divide the hot rice among 4 bowls, ladle the braised pork and sauce generously over the top, and tuck an egg alongside each serving. Garnish with pickled mustard greens, scallions, and crispy fried shallots.
9. Serve immediately with a small dish of extra pickled greens on the side for bright contrast.

Cook’s Notes

• For the richest flavor, choose pork belly with a 60/40 meat-to-fat ratio; the fat melts into the sauce during the long braise.
• Rock sugar gives a cleaner, less bitter sweetness than granulated sugar, but brown sugar works in a pinch.
• This dish tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead and reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
• If the sauce reduces too quickly, add hot water 2 tablespoons at a time to maintain a saucy, not dry, consistency.
• Pickled mustard greens (suan cai) are the traditional topping and cut through the richness with their salty-sour tang.

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