Cola Braised Pork Belly
Rich, tender pork belly braised in cola with soy sauce and spices for a glossy, sweet-savory dish perfect over rice.
Servings 2
Cost $7
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork belly, sliced
- 1 can Coke
- 2 tbsp Rock sugar (if not using full-sugar Coke)
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Cooking wine
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Star anise
- 1 tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp Five spice powder
- 3 slices Ginger
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Hard boiled eggs
Instructions
- Prep the aromatics & eggs: Slice the ginger and mince the garlic. Hard boil 2 eggs and peel so they are ready to add later.
- Slice the pork belly: Cut the pork belly into roughly 2-inch pieces — anything smaller will mostly disappear during the braise, so keep them chunky for texture and presence in the dish.
- Pan-fry the pork: Heat a pan and sear the pork pieces until nicely browned on all sides (this builds a lot of flavor), about 5 minutes. Aim for a good golden crust — don’t rush this step.
- Add aromatics and sugar: Toss in the ginger and garlic and add the rock sugar if you’re using it. Cook just until the sugar has started to melt and the aromatics are fragrant.
- Add the remaining seasonings and the Coke: Pour in the rest of the seasonings — the soy sauces, oyster sauce, cooking wine, spices (bay leaf, star anise, white pepper, five-spice), and the can of Coke. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer so the flavors start to blend.
- Add the eggs: Nestle the hard-boiled eggs into the braise so they can soak up flavor while the pork finishes cooking.
- Cover and simmer: Put the lid on and cook over medium-low heat until the pork is tender and the sauce has thickened and glazed the meat (about 25 minutes). Turn or spoon the sauce over the pork once or twice so everything cooks evenly.
- Finish and serve: Remove the bay leaf and star anise. Spoon the pork, sauce, and eggs over steamed rice and serve hot — you’ll want extra rice to mop up that glossy sauce!