Chestnut Braised Pork

Heat an iron pan until it smokes, then sear the pork skin to remove sweat glands and odors.

Sear until golden.

Add water, spring onion, ginger, and cooking wine (optional, to remove odors). Bring to a boil on high heat, skim off any foam, and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Remove the pork, cut into pieces about 1cm in size (larger pieces may be too greasy to eat), and rinse briefly in the water used for cooking the pork to remove any remaining odors.

Take it out.

Put the cut pork directly into the pan without adding oil, and pan-fry until it turns golden.

Sear until all sides are golden—it looks delicious already.

No need to wash the pan after searing. Add sugar and 25g of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Then lower the heat and continue without stirring. Swirl the pan to ensure even heating until the bubbles reduce and the sugar turns a light amber color. PS: Don't walk away, the change happens quickly.

Add the meat and stir-fry until evenly coated and aromatic.

Add various spices, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, half a bottle of Shaoxing wine (or rice wine, cooking wine, or leftover red wine). If there's not enough liquid, add boiling water until the meat is slightly submerged. Bring to a boil over high heat for about 6 minutes to let the alcohol evaporate.

Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 50 minutes. Remove the spices, discard them, and add chestnuts. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes.

Taste the dish before removing it from the heat.

Add salt to taste according to your preference.