Hong Shao Rou
Slow-braised pork belly with rock sugar, in an Instant Pot or on the stove, with a glossy, savoury-sweet sauce.
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Cherry Pork
Pork belly cubes dyed cherry-red with red yeast rice, caramelised, then braised until a chopstick slides in — no cherries involved. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 樱桃肉, report 38.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 樱桃肉_38.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 50 minutesTotal: 65 minutesServings: 2–3Difficulty: MediumRegion: Jiangsu (Suzhou)Flavour: Sweet-sour, savoury
Why this works
The name is a colour, not an ingredient, and the report's method is built around getting that colour honestly. Red yeast rice is soaked in hot water for ten minutes and the liquor is tossed with blanched pork over medium heat, so the cubes dye evenly without scorching; caramel made from rock sugar over low heat then adds gloss and a deeper sweetness, and the two reds together are what make the dish look like cherries. After that the work is patience: a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, with the lid ajar, for forty minutes, until the pork is soft but not falling apart, and a final five-minute high-heat reduction until the sauce is thick, shiny and clinging. The report's garnish rules are strict for a reason — scallion must be scalded or fried, sesame must be toasted — because a raw garnish on a long-braised dish is the only thing that has not been cooked. Serve it over the blanched greens that line the plate.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork belly, in 2 cm cubes | 8.8 oz | 250 g | Choose belly about 30% fat, 70% lean, as the report specifies. |
| Red yeast rice | 0.35 oz | 10 g | Soak in 100 ml hot water for 10 minutes, strain and use the liquor. |
| Rock sugar | 1.1 oz | 30 g | — |
| Fragrant vinegar | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 ml | Chinkiang vinegar. |
| Cooking wine | 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Salt | ¼ tsp | 2 g | Added near the end, with the vinegar. |
| Cassia bark | 0.07 oz | 2 g | — |
| Star anise | 2 whole | 2 whole | — |
| Scallion and ginger | 0.2 oz each | 5 g each | — |
| Leafy greens, for the bed | 3.5 oz | 100 g | Shanghai greens (bok choy) or similar; blanch with salt and oil. |
| Toasted white sesame or scalded scallion, to garnish | To taste | To taste | Sesame must be toasted; scallion must be scalded 10 seconds or fried until yellowed, per the report. |
| Boiling water, to braise | About 2 cups | About 500 ml | Enough to just cover the pork. |
Equipment
- Heavy pot or wok with a lid
- Small bowl for the red yeast rice soak
- Pot for blanching the greens
Steps
- Cut and blanch. Cut the pork into uniform 2 cm cubes so they cook evenly. Blanch the pork in cold water, bring to a boil, skim, and drain. Blanch the greens in salted, oiled water and lay them on the serving plate.
- Dye the pork. Soak the red yeast rice in 100 ml hot water (at least 80 °C) for 10 minutes and strain. Heat a little oil, fry the pork until faintly yellow, pour in the red yeast liquor and toss quickly over medium heat until every cube is evenly red.
- Caramelise. Melt the rock sugar over low heat until amber, about 3 minutes — do not let it darken or it turns bitter. Add the pork and toss to coat in the caramel.
- Braise gently. Add the cooking wine, scallion, ginger, cassia and star anise, pour in boiling water to just cover the pork (about 500 ml), bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat with the lid ajar for 40 minutes, keeping it at a gentle simmer, never a hard boil.
- Reduce and finish. When a chopstick slides easily into the pork, add the salt and vinegar and reduce over high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick, glossy and clinging. Finish with a drizzle of bright oil.
- Plate. Spoon the pork over the blanched greens and garnish with toasted sesame or scalded scallion.
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Technique: two reds, one gentle simmer
The cherry colour comes from two steps, not one: red yeast liquor for even dyeing, then rock-sugar caramel for gloss. If the caramel goes past amber it turns bitter and no amount of braising fixes it, and if the braise boils hard the pork goes soft but ragged — the report insists on a gentle simmer with the lid ajar for the full forty minutes.
Variations
- No red yeast rice: the colour will be caramel-brown rather than cherry-red; the flavour is still good, but it is no longer cherry pork in appearance (adaptation).
- Less sweet: reduce the rock sugar slightly; the vinegar at the end keeps the balance (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Does cherry pork contain cherries?
No — the name describes the cherry-red colour from red yeast rice, not the fruit.
Why is my pork tough or ragged?
Tough usually means too short a braise; ragged usually means too hard a boil. Keep it at a gentle simmer for the full 40 minutes.
Can I skip the greens?
Yes, but they are the report's bed for the pork and they cut the richness nicely (adaptation).
Storage and freezing
Keeps well: 2 days refrigerated, and the flavour deepens overnight. Reheat gently until steaming hot. Freezes well for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Cherry Pork — Recipe Card
Cherry-red braised pork belly, sweet-sour and glossy, over blanched greens.
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 50 minutesTotal: 65 minutesServings: 2–3
Ingredients: 250 g pork belly; 10 g red yeast rice (soaked in 100 ml hot water); 30 g rock sugar; 20 ml fragrant vinegar; 15 ml cooking wine; 2 g salt; 2 g cassia; 2 star anise; 5 g each scallion and ginger; 100 g leafy greens; toasted sesame or scalded scallion to garnish; about 500 ml boiling water.
Steps: 1) Cut and blanch pork; blanch greens. 2) Dye with red yeast liquor. 3) Caramelise, coat. 4) Braise gently 40 minutes, reduce 5 minutes, plate.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 樱桃肉 (data/reports/38.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Home servings (2–3, from one restaurant portion) are an adaptation and are labelled as such. Original poster image: clouchef.com (樱桃肉_38.jpeg).