Red-braised pork belly with Chinese mushrooms

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 ½ kg pork (belly without bones, with rind)
• 50 g Mu-Err mushrooms or Poku mushrooms
• 1 piece(s) ginger, approx. 2.5 cm
• 1 ¼ liters of water
• 600 ml rice wine, Shaoxing (alternatively: dry sherry
• 150 ml soy sauce, light
• 50 ml soy sauce, dark
• 150 g palm sugar or brown cane sugar
• 4 pieces of anise (star anise)
• 3 stalk(s) cinnamon, small
• 3 red chili peppers, dried, crushed
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 spring onions, whole, without green parts
• 2 tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Finely slice the peeled ginger, then add it to a large pot with the water and rice wine. Bring the liquid to a simmer and add the pork belly. Simmer gently for 45 minutes, skimming off any fat. Then add the soy sauce, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, chili, garlic, spring onions, and salt. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the pork is tender. While the meat is simmering, soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the liquid. Remove the stems, leaving the mushrooms whole. When the meat is tender, add the mushrooms and simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove the pork from the pot and let it cool slightly. Discard the coarse spices (cinnamon, anise, etc.) from the sauce. Skim any fat from the surface. Cut the meat into thin slices and serve with the mushrooms and sauce. Serve with rice.