Dongpo Braised Pork (Dongpo Rou)
Square-cut pork belly simmered whole in Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and rock sugar until the skin turns glossy and the meat trembles at the touch of a spoon. A Hangzhou classic named after the poet who is said to have invented it.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cut and tie the pork
Cut the pork belly into 5–6 cm squares. Tie each piece crosswise with kitchen string like a small parcel, so it keeps its shape and the skin stays on top during the long, gentle simmer.
- 1 kg pork belly
- as needed kitchen string
✅ Done when: each square is firmly tied and holds together when lifted
Blanch the pork
Put the tied pork in a pot of cold water with a few ginger slices and a splash of the wine. Bring to a boil, skim off the grey foam that rises, and boil for 3–4 minutes. Drain and rinse the pork under warm water. This removes impurities so the braise stays clear and clean-tasting.
- 1 kg pork belly (from step 1)
- half ginger slices
- 1 splash
✅ Done when: the water runs clear and the pork surface looks pale and clean, with no foam left
Build the braise
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Simmer slowly, skin down
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Flip and reduce
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Steam for the final tenderness
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Serve
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Cut and tie the pork
Cut the pork belly into 5–6 cm squares. Tie each piece crosswise with kitchen string like a small parcel, so it keeps its shape and the skin stays on top during the long, gentle simmer.
- 1 kg pork belly
- as needed kitchen string
✅ Done when: each square is firmly tied and holds together when lifted
Blanch the pork
Put the tied pork in a pot of cold water with a few ginger slices and a splash of the wine. Bring to a boil, skim off the grey foam that rises, and boil for 3–4 minutes. Drain and rinse the pork under warm water. This removes impurities so the braise stays clear and clean-tasting.
- 1 kg pork belly (from step 1)
- half ginger slices
- 1 splash
✅ Done when: the water runs clear and the pork surface looks pale and clean, with no foam left
Build the braise
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Simmer slowly, skin down
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Flip and reduce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Steam for the final tenderness
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
The dish takes its name from Su Dongpo (Su Shi), the Song-dynasty poet and official who governed Hangzhou. Local legend holds that while overseeing public works there, he had pork braised with wine and soy sauce and shared it with the labourers, and the dish came to be named after him.
Over the centuries it became one of the signature dishes of Hangzhou cuisine, served whole in its own small bowl so each diner gets a tender, glistening square of pork belly with rice.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is prized for turning a humble, fatty cut into something refined: the skin trembles, the fat has melted into silk, and the lean layers stay intact under a dark, glossy sauce.
💡 Fun Fact
Many Hangzhou restaurants still serve each portion tied with a thin strip of scallion or string, a nod to how the squares are held together during their long, slow braise.
Hangzhou, Zhejiang province
30.27°N, 120.16°E
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