Adapted from Cathy Erway's The Food of Taiwan (Houghton Mifflin, 2015).
Recipe by Andrea Nguyen on March 17, 2015
Ingredients
2 ounces | 60g thinly sliced shallot (see Note to sub store-bought shallot)
3 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 pound | 450g ground pork or coarsely ground/hand-chopped pork shoulder or belly
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 star anise (8 robust points)
1/2 cup Shaoxing rice wine
2 cups | .5L water
1/3 to 1/2 cup | 80 to 120ml egular soy sauce
3 to 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce (or 2 tablespoons regular soy plus 1 to 2 tablespoons dark molasses)
3 or 4 medium or large eggs
2 green onions (green part only, cut into rings)
Rice, for serving
Steps
To facilitate quicker frying, blot moisture from the shallot with paper towel. Set aside. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and gently fry for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and lowering the heat to control the browning process. When the shallot closes in on a rich brown, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel to cool and crisp.
Off heat, remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil; reserve the tasty oil for something else. Return the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pork, pushing and mashing it to small pieces. When it’s no longer pinkish, add the sugar, five spice, star anise and fried shallot. Cook, stirring, until well blended, about 1 minute.
Pour in the rice wine, adjust the heat to bring to a boil, then let things rapidly bubble for about 30 seconds. Stir, once in awhile. Add the water and regular and dark soy sauces. Lower the heat to medium-low or low, cover, and gently simmer for 1 good hour. Cathy says you can go as long as 2 hours to arrive at very tender pork and a slightly thickened sauce.
Meanwhile bring the eggs to room temperature before boiling them. If you need an assist, see these hard-boiled egg tips for guidance. Peel the eggs after they’ve cooled and set aside.
When the pork is done, add the eggs, return the pot to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Let sit, uncovered, for 15 minutes for flavors to develop. This dish can be refrigerate for up to several days. Reheat before serving.
To serve, cut the eggs in half or quarters. Scoop the pork and some of the cooking liquid onto your bowl of rice add the egg and garnish with green onion.
