Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork Over Rice (肉燥饭)

Step 1

To rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms, rinse them of any dust and soak them in hot water for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Squeeze out the liquid, and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Set aside the soaking liquid (you will use it later in the recipe).

Step 2

If desired, use our hand-chopped meat technique to chop a 1 pound piece of pork shoulder/butt. This will yield the best texture. Store-bought ground pork is also fine.

Step 3

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Cook the ginger and shallots for 1-2 minutes, or until the shallots turn translucent. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 4

Increase the heat to high. Add 1 additional tablespoon of oil, along with the ground pork and star anise. Cook until the meat is opaque.

Step 5

When the pork is cooked, stir in the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the wok or pan. Add the rock sugar (or sugar), light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, five spice powder, and 2 cups of water (including the mushroom soaking water. Just be sure to leave behind any sediment from soaking the mushrooms).

Step 6

Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce the heat to medium/medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 7

Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs. Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water using a large spoon, taking care not to break the shells. Boil rapidly for 30 seconds, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover, and simmer the eggs for 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl of ice water. When the eggs are cool to the touch, peel them and rinse them under running water.

Step 8

After the pork has simmered for 20 minutes, add the eggs to the mixture, making sure they’re submerged in the sauce. At this point, you may need to add another ½ cup to 1 cup of water to ensure there’s enough liquid to submerge the eggs. Cover and simmer the mixture for an additional 10 minutes.

Step 9

Uncover the wok. If the sauce is too thin, turn up the heat to medium high, and reduce  it down, stirring carefully so as not to break the eggs.

Step 10

Stir in the scallions and salt to taste. To serve, give each person one egg (cut in half if desired) and ladle the pork over rice.