Let me tell you, the hardest part about making lu rou fan will be the prep work. And if we’re looking at the ingredients list, there’s not much prep work happening here either. A little bit of chopping and searing before just letting it simmer away. I promise by the time this is done, you will have an absolutely delicious meal waiting for you.
Why am I sharing a lu rou fan recipe?
My first experience with lu rou fan was back in college, and since then I have fallen in love with the dish. It is hands down one of my favorite Taiwanese dishes. Lu rou fan is an easy meal that’s incredibly versatile, which I will detail below. I have made this dish many, many times that I have “developed” my own method to this recipe to my personal tastes. My boyfriend also swears by it.
In addition to the pork, you can braise other ingredients with the pork as well, including but not limited to:
- Daikon
- Chunky tofu
- Chicken feet
- Braised eggs
What kind of pork should I use?
Here’s the kicker, I have seen multiple types of pork used for this dish before. My recommendation is doing the extra prep work to chop pork belly into small bits and pieces. Because of the fat from pork belly, you will have the most tender and delicious lu rou fan.
You can also use pork shoulder or ground pork. By default, I will usually braise ground pork (or pork mince) because I’m in a rush and would prefer to make this as quick as possible. With pork belly, not only do you have to chop it into small pieces, but simmer a little longer to get the pork belly to be tender.
Easy lu rou fan braised with tender daikon and rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- 2 pounds ground pork
- Salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- Water to cover
- 2 cups daikon chopped
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven or pot on medium high heat. When ready, add the oil. Next, add the shallots and fry for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for an additional minute.
- Next, add the ground pork and stir until cooked all the way through. Add the following: salt and pepper, soy sauce, rice wine, cinnamon stick, star anise, brown sugar, five spice powder, and enough water to cover. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover for roughly 1 hour. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary.
- Next, add the daikon and another 1/2 cup of water. Raise the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, until the daikon is cooked through.
- Serve on top of rice, and garnish with scallions or cilantro. Enjoy.
Notes
- A dutch oven with a heavy lid will prevent the water from evaporating as quickly as a regular pot.
- To take this dish one step further, you can use chopped pork belly in place of the ground pork.
Nutrition
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