毛氏红烧肉毛氏紅燒肉
máo shì hóng shāo ròu mou4 si6 hung4 siu1 juk6
Glossy cubes of pork belly braised until they wobble, the colour of dark amber — Hunan's hometown red-braised pork, made famous as the dish Mao Zedong loved above all others.
The story behind it
Red-braised pork is eaten all over China, but the Hunan version — tied to Mao Zedong, born in Shaoxan county near Changsha — is its own thing: the sugar is caramelised into 糖色 for colour rather than sweetness, and dried red chilies join the pot, because even comfort food in Hunan carries heat. By local lore Mao preferred his without soy sauce, leaning entirely on the burnt-sugar caramel for its deep mahogany colour, and asked for it before major decisions. The dish now anchors menus across Hunan, sold as 毛氏红烧肉 in Mao-themed restaurants from Shaoshan to Beijing.
Ingredients
- 600 g skin-on pork belly, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp rock sugar (or granulated), for the caramel
- 3–4 dried red chilies; 1 star anise, 1 small cinnamon stick
- Thumb of ginger sliced, 3 spring onions in lengths
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine + 1 tbsp light soy (optional, Mao-style omits it)
- Hot water to cover; pinch of salt
Steps
- Blanch the pork cubes in boiling water with a splash of wine for 3 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- In a dry wok over low heat, melt the rock sugar to a bubbling amber caramel (糖色) — watch it closely so it doesn't burn.
- Add the pork and toss until every cube is coated and glossy, then add ginger, spring onion, chilies, star anise and cinnamon.
- Splash in the wine (and soy, if using), then pour in hot water to just cover.
- Simmer, lid on, 45–60 minutes until tender, then uncover and reduce over higher heat to a thick, shining glaze.
- Season with a pinch of salt, pick out the whole spices, and serve over rice.