History

Lu rou fan is Taipei's everyday lunch, brought from Fujian by Hokkien settlers in the 1700s. The dish is so central that the Council of Agriculture protested when foreign tourist sites called it 'Taiwanese stew'. Bib Gourmand-listed Jin Feng on Roosevelt Road in Taipei has been the canonical version since 1982. Variations: some kitchens serve it with hard-boiled egg, some add pickled mustard greens, some prefer ground rather than minced pork belly.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Pork, Egg

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g pork belly, hand-chopped or minced
  • 60ml dark soy sauce
  • 30ml light soy sauce
  • 30ml Shaoxing rice wine
  • 30g rock sugar
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 small piece cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 5 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 3 shallots, sliced
  • 30ml vegetable oil
  • 20g dried shiitake, soaked and chopped
  • 4 soft-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 400g cooked Taiwanese short-grain rice, to serve
  • Pickled cucumber, to serve

Method

  1. Heat oil in a heavy pot, fry shallots and garlic until golden brown, 4 minutes.
  2. Add pork belly, brown over high heat 5 minutes, breaking up the mince.
  3. Add Shaoxing wine, both soy sauces, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and five-spice. Stir.
  4. Add shiitake and 500ml water, bring to the boil, reduce to a low simmer.
  5. Add soft-boiled eggs, cover, simmer 60 minutes until the pork is glossy and the sauce reduced to a thick syrup.
  6. Spoon over hot rice and serve with pickled cucumber on the side.

Tip from the editors. Hand-chopped beats minced; the irregular texture holds sauce better. Rest the braise overnight if you can; the fat layer at the top can be skimmed.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat lu rou fan

Lu rou fan in Taipei

More cities are in research. Want lu rou fan covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →