Penang Tau Eu Bak (Braised Pork Belly with Soy Sauce)

Inspect the pork belly for any hairs. If present, quickly sear them off with a flame, then scrape clean with a knife and wash thoroughly. Cut the 500g pork belly into bite-sized cubes (approximately 1.5-2 inch pieces).

Place the cut pork belly and one piece of ginger (about 15g, lightly smashed) into a pot with cold water. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface to remove impurities and strong pork odor. Boil for approximately 1 minute once it reaches a rolling boil.

Remove the blanched pork belly from the pot and immediately transfer it to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Discard the ginger from the blanching water. Drain the pork belly and set aside.

Prepare the aromatics: Slice the remaining ginger (about 30g) into thin pieces. Lightly smash 3 cloves of garlic (with skin on). Gather 1 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick (lightly smashed), 1 bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of whole white peppercorns.

Prepare 3 hard-boiled eggs by peeling them. Cut 3 pieces of firm tofu in half, resulting in 6 rectangular pieces.

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the tofu pieces and fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove the fried tofu and set aside.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the sliced ginger and sauté until fragrant.

Add the blanched pork belly and all the prepared aromatics (smashed garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, white peppercorns) to the pot. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry until the pork belly renders some fat and starts to brown slightly.

Add 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce to the pork belly and stir well to coat the meat evenly, giving it a rich color. Continue to stir-fry until a fragrant aroma develops from the soy sauce.

Pour in approximately 1 liter of water, or enough to just cover the meat. Add 75ml of light soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of rock sugar. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.

Once the liquid comes to a boil, add the hard-boiled eggs and fried tofu to the pot. Stir gently to ensure all ingredients are submerged in the braising liquid.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. For a firmer texture, you can simmer for 40-45 minutes. For a softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture, simmer for 1 hour or longer.

Taste the braising liquid and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with rice. The rich gravy and rendered fat are excellent when drizzled over rice.