Braised Pork with Dried Bamboo Shoots

Soak the dried bamboo shoots, preferably for a whole day.

Tear the thick bamboo shoots apart, cut the long ones into small sections like this.

Slice the ginger and tie the scallions into a knot.

Cut the pork belly into small pieces, blanch and rinse.

Heat oil in a pan, stir-fry rock sugar over low heat.

Stir-fry the sugar until it turns a beautiful amber color. Remember to keep the heat low throughout, or it will burn.

Add the pork belly and stir-fry to coat with color.

Add scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf, stir-fry until fragrant.

Add cooking wine to remove the gaminess, then add light soy sauce for seasoning and dark soy sauce for color.

Add boiling water to cover the meat, then add the bamboo shoots to stew together. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer for 40-60 minutes.

Finally, adjust the seasoning as needed. If the flavor is not strong enough, you can add some salt at this point. Turn up the heat to reduce the sauce. I didn't reduce it too much because my kid loves to mix the braised pork sauce with rice.

Plating: