Easiest Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice)

This is one of those dishes that makes the hosue smell amazing when you're cooking it, tastes incredibly comforting, yet looks like you’ve spent all day cooking it. Rich, glossy and savoury, this Lu Rou Fan is meant to be mixed straight into fluffy rice so every grain gets coated in sauce.

It’s such an easy one-pot meal made with simple ingredients and very little fuss. Easy enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough to bring to a gathering when you want something that quietly steals the show. It also batch cooks beautifully, and freezes well, best part is it tastes even better the next day.

Why I Love It:

✔️ Deeply savoury but not heavy
✔️ Simple ingredients, big flavour
✔️ Perfect for batch cooking, freezes beautifully
✔️ Gets better as it sits

(Serves 3 Adults + 2 Children)

Ingredients:

Rice:

- 2 cups PaddyKing USA Calrose Rice

Lu Rou Fan

- 400g pork belly strips, sliced and blanched
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 shiitake mushrooms, diced
- A sprinkle of five spice powder
- 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 300–400 ml water (add as needed)

To serve:

- Blanched baby bok choy (xiao bai cai)
- Optional garnish: parsley, fried shallots, hard boiled eggs or quail eggs

Instructions:

1. Rinse and cook PaddyKing USA Calrose Rice according to packet instructions. Set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or claypot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sugar and gently swirl until it melts and turns a deep golden brown. Be careful not to burn it.
3. Add the diced onions and stir fry until softened and fragrant.
4. Add the diced shiitake mushrooms and cook for about 1 minute.
5. Add the blanched pork belly strips, followed by the five spice powder, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and cover with water.
6. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat. Simmer gently for 30–45 minutes, until the pork is tender. Add more water if needed during cooking. Add hard boiled eggs or quail eggs here if using.
7. Once the pork is tender, remove the lid and simmer uncovered until the sauce reduces and thickens into a dark, glossy gravy.
8. Serve immediately over warm PaddyKing USA Calrose Rice, with blanched baby bok choy on the side. Garnish with parsley or fried shallots if desired.

👶🏻 Toddler-Friendly Tip:

Dilute sauce with hot water to reduce saltiness. Shred the pork more finely and serve with extra rice and sauce. Skip the five spice if your child prefers milder flavours, and add more bok choy for balance.