Tau Yu Bak (Braised pork in soya sauce)

For this authentic dish, I must insist one can't go wrong with pork belly. If you're health conscious, slot in extra time on treadmill to burn off that extra calories :-) . After all if you like braised meat like myself, it's well worth the extra day of cycling for 10miles.


Tau Yu Bak (Braised pork in soya sauce)
Ingredients (serve 4)

• 500 gm pork belly marinade with
  1 tbsp light soy sauce
  1/4 tsp 5-spice powder
  1 tbs oyster sauce
  1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
  1/2 tsp pepper
  1/2 tsp salt
  2 tbs sugar or to taste
  
• Other ingredients:
  
  • 4 whole garlic pods with skin on
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 tbsp dark caramel sauce (I use Cheong Chan brand)
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar or to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp of cooking oil
    
• 
  
  1. Marinate pork for several hours or overnight.
  2. Heat a heavy based cast iron pot on medium heat, add in vegetable oil, I use Le Cruset pot to good use again.
  3. Put in marinated pork to brown.
  4. Add garlic pods, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves.
  5. Pour in half cup of water and cook covered and bring to boil.
  6. Add in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste.
  7. Turn to low heat. Add half cup of water and simmer till gravy is thick and meat is tender. This roughly takes about 1.5hrs-2hrs.
  8. If gravy is drying out, just add more water. Likewise if meat is not tender enough, just add water and simmer for a longer time.
  9. To serve, cut pork into slices and add gravy to the dish. Garnish with spring onion. Served hot with rice.

Enjoy and remember to excercise thereafter.

Here's the cheery daffodils in my garden.