TAIWAN STYLE PORK RICE BOWL (LU ROU FAN)

TAIWAN STYLE PORK RICE BOWL

(LU ROU FAN)

    Taiwan, a jewel box floating in the oceans of Asia, has been recognized for its cuisines in the last decade or so.

   My knowledge of Taiwan is limited but the short time that I spent there, as well as my Taiwanese friends, totally charm me. As a result of geography and history, Taiwan is a wondrous combination of China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. There’s sushi, Shanghai soup dumplings, and Thai basil on menus. Night markets happen daily in Taipei. The cab drivers are nice and knowledgeable. People are generous and outward looking.

   It’s no coincidence that Taiwan’s food culture seems like something you may have had before, but unique in its own right. The Chinese culture connection aside, Taiwan was also occupied starting in 1895 for over five decades by the Japanese, and many of the influences of that era can still be felt today. Taiwan has historically been more culturally open than China, and that shows in the mix of international restaurants and food found in Taiwan. 

You’ll need:

• 1 lb skin-on pork belly, cut into a small pice
• 1 small onion or a couple of shallots, finely chopped
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, cut into 1/2” pieces
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 cups water
•      hardboiled eggs, peeled (optional)

onion

shiitake mushrooms

shiitake mushrooms

pork belly

• Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water 20min

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and blanch the chopped pork belly for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

• Heat the oil in a wok over low heat, and add the sugar. Cook the sugar until it starts to melt and then add the onions. Turn up the heat to medium high and stir-fry the onions for a minute. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another couple minutes.

• Add the blanched pork, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water.

Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the spices, along with the peeled hardboiled eggs and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Eggs

    To finish the dish, turn up the heat to medium-high to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. This process should take about 5-minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but there should still be plenty of it left. Serve over steamed white rice.

   Lu Rou Fan is not difficult to make, just a little stir-frying then everything else is dumped in together into the pot and simmered away. I hope you've learned it!