Hangzhou, Zhejiang — associated with Su Dongpo's governorship of Hangzhou during the Northern Song Dynasty
Dongpo rou: named after Song Dynasty poet-official Su Dongpo. Pork belly tied in kitchen twine (to hold shape), braised in Shaoxing wine, soy, and rock sugar at low heat for 3–4 hours until trembling, gelatinous, and deeply caramelised. The wine-to-water ratio is the secret — some recipes use pure wine with no added water.
Sweet, deeply savoury, wine-rich, gelatinous — the pinnacle of Jiangnan braised pork
{"Tie pork belly with twine before cooking — preserves the rectangular form","Rock sugar is essential — it caramelises differently from white sugar","Low heat throughout — any boiling produces tougher texture","Long braise: minimum 2.5 hours; ideally 3–4 hours"}
{"Steam on a bed of sautéed greens (bok choy) for the traditional Hangzhou restaurant presentation","The cooking liquid reduces to a lacquered glaze — do not discard","Use a bamboo steamer insert inside the pot to prevent the pork from sticking"}
{"Using white sugar instead of rock sugar — less complex caramelisation","Boiling instead of simmering — toughens the connective tissue","Rushing the cooking time — cannot be accelerated without sacrificing texture"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop