Taiwanese Pork Stew Over Rice (Lu Rou Fan) Recipe

A classic Taiwanese comfort dish made with tender pork, crispy fried shallots, garlic, five-spice, soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine, slowly simmered into a rich and savoury stew served over steamed rice.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3–4 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes–4 hours 15 minutes

Serves: 6

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Course: Main Dish

Tags: Lu Rou Fan · Taiwanese Recipes · Pork Recipes · Rice Dishes · Slow-Cooked Recipes · Comfort Food

Ingredients

For the Pork Stew

• 473ml vegetable, canola or rapeseed oil
• 900g ground pork or boneless skin-on pork belly, cut into approximately 1cm cubes
• 6 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

For the Seasoning

• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 120ml dark soy sauce
• 120ml light soy sauce
• 250ml Chinese cooking rice wine
• 235–470ml water

To Serve

• Steamed jasmine rice

Method

1. Fry the shallots

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

While the oil heats, line a large plate with 2–3 layers of kitchen paper.

Add the thinly sliced shallots to the hot oil.

Stir constantly and fry for 1–2 minutes, until the shallots turn pale golden brown.

Quickly remove the shallots from the oil and place them on the lined plate to drain.

Reserve some of the shallot oil for cooking and set the fried shallots aside.

2. Brown the pork

Heat the reserved shallot oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy-based pot.

Add the ground pork or diced pork belly.

Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, until the pork develops a light brown colour.

3. Add the aromatics and spices

Add the fried shallots and minced garlic to the pot.

Stir-fry for approximately 1 minute, until fragrant.

Add the sugar and Chinese five-spice powder.

Stir well and cook for another minute.

4. Add the sauces

Pour in the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and Chinese cooking rice wine.

Stir well to combine.

Add enough water to just cover the pork mixture.

5. Simmer the stew

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and partially cover the pot with a lid.

Simmer gently for 3–4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the pork is very tender and the sauce has thickened into a rich stew.

6. Serve

Spoon the Taiwanese pork stew generously over steamed rice.

Serve hot.

Notes

• Choose your pork: Ground pork creates a softer, more traditional minced texture, while pork belly gives the dish a richer and more substantial texture.
• Don't rush the cooking: The long, gentle simmer allows the pork to become tender and gives the sauce its rich flavour.
• Control the water: Start with enough water to cover the pork and add more during cooking if the stew becomes too dry.
• Fry the shallots carefully: They continue to darken slightly after being removed from the oil, so take them out as soon as they become pale golden brown.
• Serve with rice: Lu Rou Fan is traditionally served over steamed rice, with the rich pork sauce soaking into the rice.