Soy sauce braises or stews is a very popular way of cooking in Chinese cuisines in most regions of eastern, south eastern and northern China. There are many variations of braised meat dishes, some have combinations of different types of meat like pork, chicken or duck, vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. It is also a very popular dish in many parts of Southeast Asia. In addition, braised pork in soy sauce is a typical Chinese home cooking dish, a comfort food dish that most Chinese households will cook for their children while growing up. Many of us grew up with fond memories of our mum’s aromatic soy sauce braises. Making a gluten free version of this dish is a fantastic way of remembering my childhood memories filled with delicious fragrant of this dish during meal times.
Eggs are very handy and inexpensive way of filling your tummy. It is not only delicious by itself but can be easily incorporated into many dishes as well. Eggs are high in protein and low in saturated fats and they comprise of many different vitamins and trace minerals that are crucial to eating a healthy and balanced nutrition. Egg is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B9 (folate), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), vitamin D, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. In addition, eggs also have carotenoid particularly lutein and zeaxanthin, plus choline. Potential health benefits of eggs include prevention of macular degeneration, prevent birth defects during pregnancy, promotes healthy brain and cardiovascular systems and support strong muscles and bones.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and finely minced
- 1 kg skinless and boneless lean pork spare ribs trimmed and roughly cut into 3 cm to 4cm pieces
- 500 g skinless and boneless pork leg trimmed and roughly cut into 3cm pieces
- 6 hard-boiled eggs refer relevant recipe
- 1 large star anise
- 6 cloves
- 1 ½ cups water
- Steamed rice to serve
For the Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons of gluten free thick soy sauce kecap manis (refer relevant recipe)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons of pale or medium dry sherry
Instructions
- Heat up a wok with 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, stir-fry the garlic on low heat until lightly golden. Add in the all the pork pieces, star anise, cloves plus the sauce and stir-fry for 10 minutes on medium to high heat.
- Then add in 1 ½ cup of water, cover with a wok lid and bring to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down to low and let the pork cook for 1 hour or until pork is soft and tender. Stirring occasionally.
- Once the pork is soft and tender, remove only the pork and set aside in a large bowl.
- Add the hard-boiled eggs into the wok with the braising sauce and cook for 10 minutes, stirring and moving the eggs around to gently coat the eggs with the sauce.
- Return the cooked pork to the wok to reheat the pork, taking care not to break the eggs.
- Serve with steamed rice.
