Caramelized Braised Pork Belly with Tofu & Daikon Radish (Loh Chu Yuk / Tau Yew Bak) | BIG Bites MY

Caramelized Braised Pork Belly with Firm Tofu and Daikon Radish

This dish makes a regular appearance during mealtimes in most Chinese households. This is comfort food for me. And it is also a complete meal with my protein and vegetables all in one bowl. Although it takes quite a while to prepare, it is still SO EASY LAH. The recipe shown here feeds three to four; just double up accordingly if you are cooking for more. It is easy to make a porky rice bowl out of this dish. So comforting. So satisfying.

Watch video for step-by-step method of preparation

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Prep time: 30 minutes 

Cooking time: 2.5 hours 

Serving: 3 to 4 (increase portions accordingly if you are cooking for more)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons (30g) rock sugar
• 1 teaspoon groundnut oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bulb smoked garlic
• 1 small (350g) white radish / daikon
• 3 pieces fried tofu
• 500ml water
  
• Pork belly:
  
  • 1 teaspoon groundnut oil
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) rice wine / cooking wine
  • 2 tablespoons corn flour
  • 350g pork belly (skin on; cut into cubes)
  • 500ml water

Method:

1. Peel garlic and set aside
2. Peel white radish / daikon. Rinse and cut into big chunks of almost similar sizes.
3. Pork belly:
• Rub pork belly cubes with corn flour
• Rinse with water. Drain and set aside.
• Heat groundnut oil over MEDIUM LOW heat and brown pork cubes
• Add rice wine / cooking wine and stir to coat pork cubes
• Add 500ml of water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
• The scum and impurities will float to the top. After 5 minutes, remove from heat, pour away the water and rinse pork under running water to wash off the scum.
4. In a braiser or heavy-based pot, heat up groundnut oil over MEDIUM LOW heat. Add rock sugar and cook until it becomes a golden brown caramel.
5. Add blanched pork and stir to coat. The caramel is very hot, so be careful not to get splattered.
6. Add dark soy sauce and stir to coat
7. Add smoked garlic pips and cinnamon stick
8. Add 400ml water
9. Cover pan (leave a small gap to prevent boiling over) and simmer over MEDIUM LOW heat for about 60 to 90 minutes. Stir occasionally.
10. After 60 to 90 minutes, add the remaining 100ml water. Add soy sauce.
11. Add white radish / daikon and fried tofu cubes. Pierce with a fork to check if the pork is tender.
12. Cover pan (leave a small gap to prevent boiling over) and simmer over MEDIUM LOW heat for another 20 to 30 minutes until pork and white radish are tender. Stir occasionally.
13. After 20 to 30 minutes, taste and flavor to your liking
14. Remove tofu and set aside
15. Pierce pork and white radish with a fork to check if it's fork tender
16. Cover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes to thicken the gravy
17. After 10 to 15 minutes, discard cinnamon stick. Pierce pork and white radish again with a fork to check if it's tender. 
18. Simmer until the gravy reaches a consistency you like. Stir occasionally.
19. Cut tofu into triangles or cubes - your choice. Arrange the tofu on a serving plate.
20. Scoop braised pork and white radish onto the serving plate
21. Garnish and ready to be served

Notes:

• Cooking time varies depending on your meat and all stoves are different, so the heat varies. Just make sure to keep checking your pork belly and daikon radish. Cooking stops when the meat and radish are fork tender.
• The daikon radish takes about 30 minutes to an hour to soften. So it should be added to the pot together with the tofu about an hour before cooking ends. Again, like with the meat, check with a fork and the cooking stops when it is fork tender.