Osmanthus Chestnut Braised Pork (Beginner Version)

Prepare the pork belly. If you prefer fatty meat, buy fatty cuts; if you prefer lean, buy lean cuts. I opted for relatively lean meat.

Sear the pork skin briefly using a flame. This step is important, as nobody wants to encounter stray pig hairs while eating. Plus, searing makes the meat easier to cut into pieces!

As shown in the image, cut the pork into appropriately sized pieces. Don't stress too much about precision.

Boil water, add the pork, and then pour in the cooking wine. I used a local specialty cooking wine, but any yellow wine should suffice. Boil for 2 minutes to remove blood foam, then take out the pork for later use!

Cut 2-3 small sour plums (optional), 2 scallion stalks, smash some ginger, and prepare half a bowl of yellow rock sugar.

Stir-fry scallions, ginger, and garlic in a small amount of oil. Keep the oil minimal, as the pork will release fat later.

Add the pork belly and stir-fry.

Mix in the soy sauce and dark soy sauce (ideally use special dark soy sauce for braising. Otherwise, as seen in my example, the result may appear overly dark, which can affect presentation).

Add chestnuts and stir-fry. I used vacuum-packed peeled chestnuts from the supermarket for convenience.

Add water to cover the meat, bring it to a boil on high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

After about 45 minutes, check the dish. If it's nearly done, reduce the sauce. At this point, add dried osmanthus—purchased online—or skip it. Alternatively, add chili peppers for a spicy kick!

Turn up the heat to reduce the sauce.

Finished. Ready for inspection!