Authentic Lu Rou Fan 滷肉飯 (Taiwanese Braised Pork over rice)

Lu rou fan is the perfect comfort food, from its tantalizing fragrance to its satisfying umami and savory flavor. My recipe includes a secret ingredient that will give you a mouth-watering genuine taste of authentic lu rou fan.

Just like Taiwanese beef noodle soup and boba, lu rou fan (滷肉飯) is also one of the most iconic and well-known Taiwanese street food that's love by many people around the world. In my college years, whenever I wanted a quick, comforting and budget friendly meal, lu rou fan was always one of my top choice. You could get a bowl of lu rou fan, a small plate of boiled leafy green with just $2.

Depending on which part of Taiwan you're talking about, the lu rou fan you get can be made differently, either in different ratio of fat and lean meat, or with sweeter or saltier flavor. You can learn more information about this from this article on Michelin's guide.

To me, a perfect bowl of lu rou fan should meet the following criteria -- 1) The pork should be tender and melt in your mouth; 2) there should be a good balance of sweet and salty with an umami element. It can't be overly salty and make you thirsty after eating. 3) The sauce should be thick enough to coat the rice, and you should get a rich and luscious mouth feel when you eat it. 4) Includes tender, chewy/bouncy (QQ texture) short grain white rice.

When you order lu rou fan from the vender, you can usually choose to either add a soy sauce braised egg (滷蛋) or an over easy fried egg to go with it.

I personally prefer to eat it with an over easy fried egg. When you mix the runny egg yolk with the savory and aromatic braised pork, it really brings the flavor and texture of this bowl of lu rou fan to another level!

Why You Should Try This Recipe

• It's so good that you really just have to try it at least once!
• I will show you how to recreate the authentic Taiwanese lu rou fan at home with step by step pictures and easy to follow instruction.
• I will provide you the instructions of how to make it in your Instant Pot.
• You can make more and freeze some for later for a convenient future meal.

Ingredients You'll Need

Here are the main ingredients you'll need for making this recipe. Check the recipe box below for the full ingredient list with actual measurement.

Notes

• Pork belly - Make sure you get fresh and good quality pork belly with skin on as that would result in a luscious sauce that's rich in gelatin. Try to pick a piece with even layers of fat and lean meat like the one shown in the picture above. I usually have more luck finding a good piece from a local butcher.
• Soy sauce - After doing lots of research to determine the best soy sauce to use for Taiwanese braised pork that's also easy to find, Kikkoman regular soy sauce is the winner. If you prefer to use another brand, make sure you adjust the amount accordingly as some soy sauce is saltier, like Kimlan soy sauce.
• Vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce - This is the secret ingredient that gives the braised pork nice umami flavor! Make sure you get the Wan Jia Shan brand.
• Crispy fried shallot - Homemade would taste the best (recipe here), but you can also use a store bought one if you prefer.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1 - Cut the pork belly into small cubes and separate the fat and lean part.

If the pork belly is too large to easily handle, cut it first into more manageable segments before making a cut that roughly separates the fat part from the lean part.

Cut each part into small cubes that's about the width of your index finger. This will be easier to do it when the pork belly is half frozen.

Step 2 - Sauté the pork with garlic and ginger.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add ginger slices and chopped garlic, stir and cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds.

Add the fatty part of the pork belly cubes into the pan, stir and cook until they turn white, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the rest of the pork belly cubes and continue to cook until the fat begins to render and excess liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Step 3 - Stir fry pork with sugar, soy sauce and vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce.

Move the pork to one side of the pan and add sugar to the empty part of the pan. Slightly tilt your pan so that the fat rendered from the pork can flow to the sugar. Cook until the sugar starts to turn brown before mixing it with pork.

Add soy sauce, vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce and continue to stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust the heat if needed to maintain a moderate boil.

Step 4 - Braise the Pork for one hour.

Pour the pork mixture into a Dutch oven (I used a 2.5qt one here) or a soup pot with a thick bottom and set it aside.

Add cooking wine and water into the frying pan and bring it to a boil. Use a spatula to scrape off the brown bits in the pan.

Pour the liquid into the Dutch oven and add more water to cover up the pork if needed. Add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, Chinese five-spice powder (place them in a stainless steel mesh tea ball or a spice pouch/bag), white pepper powder and crispy fried shallots into the pot. Cover and bring it to a boil before reducing the heat to low and maintaining a gentle boil for one hour.

Want to cook this in your Instant Pot Instead? See the tips and tricks section for the instructions.

Step 5 - Rest over night and thicken up the sauce the next day.

Remove the tea ball or spice bag and let the pork cool down completely before storing it in the fridge overnight. Just like many stews or curry dishes, braised pork belly also tastes better after resting overnight.

Next day before serving, take the pot out from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and continue to cook uncovered for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is almost reduced to half. Stir occasionally.

Serve the braised pork belly with a bowl of warm short grain white rice, top with an over easy fried egg, and enjoy the heavenly taste of Taiwanese lu rou fan.

Recipes to Pair with Lu Rou Fan

Cooking Tips and Tricks

• Cutting pork into small cubes is the hardest part of this recipe. Make sure you sharpen your knife and cut the pork when it's half frozen.
• I personally like my pork belly cubes to be on the bigger side, but feel free to cut it into smaller cubes based on your preference.
• Cooking off the juices that comes out from stir frying the pork helps to reduce the unpleasant pork smell. If you decided to double or triple the recipe, a longer time may be needed to cook off these juices. If so, increase the heat and stir more frequently.
• Caramelizing the sugar gives the braised pork a nice dark and glistening appearance while improving the flavor, so don't skip it!
• Instant Pot instruction- put everything in your Instant Pot instead of the Dutch oven and set it to cook for 20 minutes on high and let the pressure release naturally after it's done cooking. On the next day, use "sauté" function to cook for 10-15 minutes or until the broth reduces by half.
• The braised pork belly is very flavorful, so you usually only need a small scoop for a bowl of rice.

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