🍽️ Braised Pork Belly

Rich soy sauce braise, fatty but not greasy, a benchmark Shanghainese dish.

Braised pork belly is the benchmark of Shanghainese (Benbang) cooking, prepared in every local home. Skin-on pork belly is cut into squares, blanched, then braised slowly with caramelized rock sugar, Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauce, scallion and ginger. The chunks emerge glossy and reddish, fat melting without greasiness, lean meat tender without being dry, savory with a clear sweet edge and rich soy aroma. Benbang cooking favors a thick, glossy red oil and strong sauce that is marvelous over rice. A bowl of this pork appears at every festival and family feast; a piece over rice is a treasured local memory and often outsiders' first introduction to Shanghai's sweet-savory style.