START TO FINISH: 40 minutes
SERVINGS: 6
This Taiwanese dish, called lu rou fan, is a one-bowl meal consisting of richly flavored, soy-simmered pork served over steamed rice. Pork belly is traditional, but we found ground pork faster and just as delicious. Hard-cooked eggs are common, but we preferred soft-cooked eggs for their runny yolks. To make soft-cooked eggs, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add the eggs, cover and steam over medium for 7 minutes. Transfer the eggs to ice water to stop the cooking, then shell and halve the eggs before serving. We liked serving steamed or stir-fried bok choy or broccoli alongside, a nice balance to the richness of the pork.
Don’t use regular soy sauce; when reduced during cooking in this recipe it will become too salty. And don’t use cooking sherry, which contains added salt; use an inexpensive dry sherry.
1½ pounds ground pork
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided, plus more as needed
¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
12 ounces shallots, halved and thinly sliced
10 medium garlic cloves, minced
1¼ cups dry sherry
⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons five-spice powder
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
Steamed rice, to serve
3 scallions, thinly sliced
In a medium bowl, mix the pork with ¼ cup of the soy sauce. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until deeply browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
Add the sherry, sugar, five-spice and remaining ¾ cup soy sauce. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then increase to high and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until reduced and syrupy and a spoon leaves a clear trail, about 5 minutes.
Reduce to low and allow the simmering to subside. Add the pork, breaking it into small pieces. Cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, then taste and add soy sauce, if needed. Spoon steamed rice into individual bowls, top with the pork and sprinkle with the scallions.