Name: Sticky Chinese Pork Belly
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese/American
Ingredients: 1kg (2.2 lbs) rindless pork belly, cut into cubes; 1 litre (4 cups) chicken or pork stock; 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped; 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped; 70ml (1/4 cup) Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; 1 tbsp sugar; 4 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; 1 tbsp sesame oil; FOR THE STICKY SAUCE; 1 lemongrass stalk, peeled and minced; 1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, finely chopped; 1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes; 2 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp light brown sugar; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; TO GARNISH; 2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced; 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

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Check out my really simple sticky pork belly. This is so good!

This sticky pork belly recipe is easy and tastes amazing. It takes a little while to boil the pork belly so that it’s nice and tender but once you do that, you will have lovely tasting sticky Chinese pork belly in no time.

About this sticky pork belly recipe.

I developed this sticky pork belly recipe for the home cook. No fancy wok work needed though I do prefer cooking the pork in a flaming hot wok. This time I used a pot and it came out tasting just as I like it.

You can make this sticky pork belly to your personal preference. I cook the pork until it’s almost fall apart tender. Doing this, you get a lot of crispy bits when you mix it all together to serve. You might prefer larger, tender chunks of pork belly. To do this, just boil the pork until it is fork tender and carry on with the recipe.

Cooking the pork belly.

You simmer the chunks of pork belly in stock that you season with ginger, garlic, rice wine and sugar. You could just simmer the meat in plain pork or chicken stock but the additional ingredients give the meat a subtle flavour of those ingredients which is nice.

Depending on how you like your sticky pork belly, you might really need to watch the pork belly chunks as the simmer. Pork belly can be tough if under cooked but if you can stick a fork in it with little resistance, it’s ready. I prefer to cook mine just a little longer until it is fall apart tender. You can decide which you prefer.

What goes into the sticky sauce?

All of the standard ingredients you would probably expect in a sticky Chinese sauce is all that’s needed. These are all easily sourced ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

The sauce is a blend of oil, salt, pepper, ginger, lemongrass and red chilli flakes. What makes it sticky is honey and brown sugar which you then whisk with light and dark soy sauce. It’s that simple and you can prepare this a day or so ahead of serving if more convenient.

What does this pork taste like?

You get it all with this recipe! In addition to the pork belly which is so good even on its own, you have a sauce that is savoury, mildly spicy, sweet and tangy. What more could you want in a sauce?

You can also adjust the flavours before serving, adding more sugar for sweetness, soy sauce for a more savoury flavour, lemon juice or vinegar for a tart flavour and make it as spicy or mild as you like.

Is this sticky pork belly recipe spicy?

If you follow my recipe exactly, you will get a bit of a kick but I wouldn’t call it spicy. When I make it for myself, I do add more dried chilli flakes because I like my sticky pork belly good and spicy. You can do the same if you like or leave the recipe as it is.

The red chilli flakes can also be left out if you want a mild version.

What do you serve with sticky pork belly?

All you need is white rice for a perfect Chinese pork meal. You can try this Basmati rice recipe or even opt for jasmine rice. If you want to go to a little more work and make it fancy, try my Chinese egg fried rice recipe.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

If you have leftovers, you can store them in an air tight container in the fridge for about 4 days.

To reheat the sticky pork belly, I recommend doing it in a hot pan or wok over a medium-high heat with a little oil. This will bring it all back to life and keep that pork crispy.

I don’t recommend using the microwave to reheat it. The flavour will still be good but it will lose its crispiness.

Can you freeze sticky pork belly?

Yes and it freezes well for up to 6 months. Be sure to freeze it in an air tight container or in a freezer bag. If using a freezer bag, try to squeeze the air out of the bag before sealing.

To reheat, just let it defrost and then fry it up in a pan or wok with a little oil until hot and crispy.

Step by step pictures and instructions

Prepare your ingredients and measure them out to make things easy.

The pork belly in the stock with spices ready to boil

Simmer the pork belly pieces in the chicken stock with the ginger, garlic and rice wine.

The cooked pork belly pieces removed from the stock

Remove the pork belly pieces from the spiced stock.

Pour out the stock and add the cooked pork belly pieces back to the pan

Fry the pork belly pieces in the oil

Pour in the glaze ingredients and heat through.

Crispy pork belly on a serving plate with rice and garnished with sliced red chillies and spring onions.

Serve topped with spring onions and sliced red chilli peppers

If you like this sticky pork belly recipe, you might like to try some of these Chinese takeaway favourites too:

Have you tried this sticky pork belly recipe?

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Yield: 4