Rou Zhao Mian (Braised Pork Noodles)

An even more satisfying way to eat Taiwanese braised pork belly

Rou Zhao Mian (Taiwanese Braised Pork Noodles) recipe

makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

Braised Pork Belly

2 lb skin-on pork belly

¼ cup black bean soy sauce

3 tbsp black bean soy paste

¼ cup shao hsing wine

5 shallots, peeled and shredded, or ¾ cup fried shallots

3 garlic cloves, minced or sliced

30g rock sugar 

½ tsp white pepper

2+ cups chicken broth

rice bran oil, for frying

Spice Packet

4 star anise

2 cinnamon stick

8 cloves

3 bay leaves

3 to 4 slices fresh ginger

For Serving

4 to 6 soft or medium boiled tea eggs

Packaged egg noodles, fresh or dry

2 tbsp shallot oil

1 green onion, sliced thinly

a few pieces of cilantro

(Optional) 1 tbsp fried shallots

(Optional) 4 to 6 slices of takuwan

Directions

The day before, make soft or medium-boiled tea eggs. If you’re pinched for time, you can marinate the eggs in the meat sauce while braising the meat, but that will result in hard-boiled eggs instead.

Begin by preparing the spice packet with star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, and ginger. Wrap everything in cheese cloth and tie with a string. Set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil, and blanch the pork belly for a few minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to clean off the meat scum, and set aside. When it has cooled, cube the pork belly into ¼-inch size pieces. For some kong rou (large slices of pork belly braised in meat sauce), rather than cubing all the meat, cut a few 3 to 4 inch slabs of pork belly.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a small pan over medium heat, making sure there is enough oil to submerge the shallots. When the oil begins to shimmer, test the oil to see if it is ready by dropping a piece of shallot in. If it starts bubbling immediately, then the oil is ready. If not, wait another minute or so and test again. When ready, add the shallots and stir occasionally so that they fry evenly. As the shallots approach a golden brown, stir continuously to prevent burning. The process should take about 10 to 12 minutes, depending on how large your pan is. When the shallots are done frying, remove from heat and strain the oil into a glass storage container for later use. Take care not to burn, as they will continue to darken after you remove the them from the oil. Transfer the fried shallots to a separate bowl. When they have cooled, crush or cut them up.

In a dutch oven or pot over medium heat, pour about 2 tbsp of the shallot oil and transfer the cubed pork belly, along with the slabs of pork belly. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add the shao hsing wine, black bean soy sauce, black bean soy paste, white pepper, rock sugar, the spice packet, and enough chicken broth so that the pork belly is submerged. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer.

After about 15 minutes, add in the fried shallots, mixing it into the sauce. Then, cover the pot and simmer for at least 2½ hours and up to 5 hours on the lowest heat setting. As it cooks, try to skim as much fat off as possible; using a spoon, take off the top layer of the sauce and put into a separate bowl to wait for the fat to form a hard skin before scooping off. Alternatively, a metal ladle filled with ice can be used by touching the bottom of the the cold ladle to the sauce; the fat will congeal more quickly and stick to the ladle. With either method, pour the sauce sans the oil back into the pot. Another option is waiting until the next day when the fat solidifies to remove the layer of fat off the top, but if planning to eat it that day, it’s best to skim it off while the meat is braising.

By the end, the pork belly should be incredibly soft and melty; be very gentle with the kong rou (large slabs of pork belly) or they may break apart. To finish up the braise, turn the heat to medium-high to thicken the sauce a bit, about 10 minutes. Slip in the refrigerated tea eggs to warm them up, about 5 to 8 minutes.

While warming up the eggs, prepare the noodles according to package instructions. Spoon about a half tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil at the bottom of a serving bowl, before adding the noodles. Toss the noodles in the shallot oil and a small pinch of salt, making sure well-coated, and then ladle the pork belly and sauce over the noodles. Garnish with green onion, cilantro, fried shallots, takuwan if using, and a tea egg sliced in half. Serve with sides such as stir-fried veggies with shallots, Taiwanese you dou fu (fried tofu braised in the meat sauce), cucumber salad, and more.

Notes

1. Yes, this is same exact recipe as the lu rou fan (Taiwanese braised pork over rice), except the rou zhao (meat sauce) is served over noodles tossed in shallot oil, rather than rice. In Taiwan, the rou zhao is also spooned over stir-fried veggies, tofu dishes, and more; it’s essentially an all-purpose meat sauce that is almost unfairly delicious.

2. The key to this recipe is the fried shallots and the black bean soy sauce. Traditional Taiwanese soy sauce is naturally gluten-free and is made only with native Taiwanese black beans, salt, water, and sugar, resulting in a a mellower, sweeter, and nostalgically Taiwanese flavor. My favorite is the Lo Bao Condensed Soy Sauce from Wuan Chuang. Made in Taiwan and very difficult to track down in the States, I’ve only been able to locate this sauce at one asian grocery store. If unable to find this particular brand, most asian grocery stores sell other black bean soy sauces made in Taiwan that should work as well.

3. The meat sauce goes splendidly with Chinese style dry noodles by Quon Yick, which can be found at most asian grocery stores. I grew up on these noodles, so I may be a bit biased, but they are an incredible versatile noodle. They pair well with most Chinese noodle dishes, from beef noodle soup to lo mein, and even making Californian or Italian spaghetti with this noodle is delicious!

4. To make this dish completely gluten-free, substitute the Shao Hsing V.O. Rice Wine with a wheat-free rice wine, such as Japanese mirin, which is made only with rice; other alternatives include dry sherry or sake. Also, use gluten-free noodles in place of egg noodles. I typically use vermicelli bean thread noodles; this particular type of noodle soaks up the meat sauce really well.