My uncle is sharing his recipe – Braised Minced Pork Sauce that is beloved by our family. The dish is inspired by Taiwanese braised pork Lu rou fan (滷肉饭) and Japanese sobori don (そぼろ丼). The minced pork is braised in soybean paste, soy sauce, onions, garlic which results in a sweet and savory bite!
My uncle says to be careful, because this dish can be so addicting that you will be eating many bowls of rice (I completely agree, it’s THAT GOOD!). Pair the dish with green vegetables for a complete easy comfort meal! Don’t forget to serve with hot bowls of white rice, a fried sunny side egg or some delicious Chinese Stir-Fried Cabbage!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Braised Minced Pork Recipe
- Great Flavor and Taste. The pork flavor tastes complex and so addicting. The savoriness comes from the miso and the beer gives the sauce a sweet yet slightly hoppy flavor!
- Quick and Easy Dish. This recipe uses simple ingredients and minimal prep. When serving the braised minced pork with rice, the food portions are quite large and the flavor is great for meal prep or for a big family!
- Made in One Pot! The dish only needs one large pot to cook. The dishes are minimal and there’s not a lot of cooking steps.
Ingredients:
Here’s a look at what you need to make braised minced pork at home. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Ground pork – this is traditionally used for Taiwanese braised pork. The pork is fatty and flavorful, which works great with the sauce.
- Garlic – Fry this with onions for a great flavor. Also helps with the gaminess of the meat.
- Shaoxing cooking wine– the wine helps cut back on the gaminess of the meat. Substitute with dry sherry.
- Miso paste or soybean sauce – Gives the umami and dpeth of flavor in the pork when it’s cooked down.
- Ketchup – gives a nice sweetness and acidity to the pork sauce.
- Oyster Sauce – adds savoriness to the pork. You can find this as most Asian grocery stores.
- Chicken Bouillon – Adds saltiness and sweetness to the dish. You can replace this with salt if you like.
- Soy sauce – This dish is mostly sweet, so it’s important to add saltiness from the soy sauce to the dish.
- Light beer – I used Bud Light! – when you cook this down, the meat and sauce becomes sweet! No substitutions for this.
Garnish:
- Fried eggs – I highly recommend to make a sunny side egg so you can mix in your egg yolk and get a creamy sauce! Use pasteurized eggs for this!
- Furikake (optional)
- Green onions – adds freshness to the pork sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t have miso, you can also use Chinese soybean sauce. Use your preferred fermented bean paste for this recipe!
- Use different meat – you can use ground chicken or ground turkey if you prefer.
- Add your favorite type of beer if you don’t want to use bud light. Alcohol is required for that depth and sweet flavor from the meat!
Directions:
Step 1. Chop ½ onion. Mince garlic and set aside.
Step 2. Heat wok or pan on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and then add chopped onions and minced garlic.
Step 3. Once garlic starts browning, add minced pork. Stir fry for 5 minutes and break apart the pork.
Step 4. Add shaoxing cooking wine, soybean paste sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon, soy sauce and sugar to the minced pork. Mix together and fry for 5 more minutes. Continue to break apart the minced pork until it all separates!
Step 5: Open a can of beer and add 1½ cup (use standard measuring cup or pour out ¾ of the can) beer to the minced pork to the minced pork. Cover and cook for 20 more minutes on low-medium heat. (Braising Step) (Covered)
Step 6: Cook for 10 more minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce.
(Optional, but highly recommended!) Fry your eggs in a pan. Then, serve minced pork with hot rice and a sunny side egg. Top with some furikake and hope you enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Serve the braised minced pork with hot white rice. Add a fried sunny side egg for extra creaminess and furikake seasoning. Pair with a soup and vegetable salad!
The meat sauce can be placed in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat the sauce in the microwave and add to your rice or noodles.
I recommend to use beer to make this delicious recipe. It helps cut out the gaminess of the meat and when cooked for 20 minutes, the dish becomes aromatic and sweet. If you don’t want to use beer, you can chicken broth or broth of choice!
Expert Tips
- Fry an egg to serve with the rice! The creaminess of the yolk tastes great mixed in with the minced pork sauce.
- Use a neutral tasting beer. So it doesn’t make your dish too bitter from the beer.
- Cook for at least 20 minutes to ensure the minced pork braises in the seasonings and beer. The alcohol will evaporate and you’re left a sweet and deep sauce.
Check out more delicious Chinese dishes below!
- Hot and Sour Soup – spicy and flavorful authentic hot and sour soup to warm you up!
- Vegetarian Mapo Tofu – sichuan style mapo tofu always tastes great with white rice
- Thai Basil Chicken – chicken and vegetable stir fry with chilis’ and lime for an exceptional main dish.
Braised Minced Pork Over Rice (肉燥饭)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork or ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil vegetable or avocado oil
- ½ onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon miso or soybean sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1½ cup cup light lager beer (Bud Light)
garnish
- fried eggs
- furikake (optional)
- chopped green onions (optional)
Instructions
- Chop ½ onion. Mince garlic and set aside.
- Heat wok or pan on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and then add chopped onions and minced garlic. Once garlic starts browning, add minced pork. Stir fry for 5 minutes and break apart the pork.
- Add shaoxing cooking wine, soybean paste sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon, soy sauce and sugar to the minced pork. Mix together and fry for 5 more minutes. Continue to break apart the minced pork until it all separates!
- Open a can of beer and add 1½ cup (use standard measuring cup or pour out ¾ of the can) beer to the minced pork. Cover and cook for 20 more minutes on low-medium heat. (Braising Step)
- Cook for 10 more minutes on medium heat UNCOVERED to thicken the sauce.
- Fry your eggs in a pan. Then, serve minced pork with hot rice and a sunny side egg. Feel free to add some furikake or togarashi on top. Hope you enjoy!
Video
@cookwithdana Cook with my chinese uncle 🍚 #pork #rice #confortfood
♬ good morning, everyone – OVN
Tina says
Thank you for a great simple recipe! My family enjoyed it very much. We added some water chestnuts for a little crunch and it was awesome. We will make it again 🙂
Dana says
Sounds super delicious!! I need to try the water chestnuts too!!
Honey Mendoza says
I am constantly searching for quick, delicious recipes for weeknight meals for me and my husband. Both my husband and I are Chinese and prefer simple, authentic Chinese meals. This recipe (among others by cook with dana) has been in our rotation for so long! It’s absolutely delicious!
Liz A says
Loveeeee this recipe! So homey, cozy, and delicious. Thank you for sharing it with us! 🙂
Brianna says
Just made this! Had to use soy sauce instead of the soybean sauce because I couldn’t find it, I’m not sure if they are similar or not. But it was delicious!! I love your recipes
Cook With Dana says
Thank you so much Brianna ◡̈ The soybean sauce is sometimes hard to find in grocery stores 😉 Sometimes they don’t have it at mine as well. But if you do see it, I recommend getting it!