Instant Pot Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly (FORK TENDER)

Lunar New Year is just around the corner; here is my easy, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth fail-proof Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly made in an Instant Pot. The pork is braised until FORK TENDER and packed with flavor. The sauce is savory and sweet with layers of umami flavor from different spices and condiments. Get your rice and belly ready because this Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly is going to blow your mind! 

There are so many Braised Pork Belly variations from all around the world, such as Filipino Adobo, Vietnamese Thit Kho, Shanghai-Hong Shao Rou, and even within Taiwan, there are so many variations. Over the next few months, I will be showing you different variations of braised pork belly because each version has a secret technique that makes it unique. Today we are making my easy instant pot Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly that I grew up eating. It is not too heavy and pairs perfectly with rice. 

Instant Pot not only cuts the cooking time in half, but the pork belly comes out extra tender every single time. This is a great dish to make for weeknight dinners as you toss it all in, and you don’t have to worry about it until you are ready to eat! If you have extra time, add in hard boil egg and let it simmer for an additional 30 minutes for the braised egg. In Taiwan, we like to pair it with Taiwanese Cucumber Salad and Chinese Pickled Cabbage since savory and sweet pairs perfectly with sour! 

I always make sure to blanch the pork belly first to get rid of the pork’s scum and smell. It also allows the sauce to be purer and the pork belly to aboard all the flavors better. Once you finish blanching the pork belly for 3-5 minutes, rinse clean with cold water before adding it to the Instant Pot. A simple step makes a world of difference, trust me! 

Ingredient 

2.5 lb Pork Belly 

4 thin slices of Ginger 

10 cloves of Garlic (smashed) 

2 Green Onion 

1 small Cinamon Stick 

4 Star Anise 

5 Red Whole Chili 

¼ cup of Soy Sauce 

¼ cup of Dark Soy Sauce 

4.5 tbsp of Brown Sugar or Rock Sugar 

3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional) 

¼ cup of Water 

1. Cut the pork belly into 1-inch pieces. Add the pork belly to a pot filled with water and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes and rinse with cold water. Drain the pork belly and set it aside 
2. In an Instant Pot, add Pork belly, ginger, garlic, green onion, cinnamon stick, star anise, whole red chili, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, Chinese cooking wine (optional), and ¼ cup of water. Mix everything 
3. Put the lid on and set it to pressure cook for 25 minutes. 
4. Pair with rice and garnish with green onion. 

INSTANT POT I RECOMMEND: https://amzn.to/3iQNLUl

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Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly made in an Instant Pot

The pork is braised until FORK TENDER and packed with flavor. The sauce is savory and sweet with layers of umami flavor from different spices and condiments.

Prep Time20 mins

Active Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Yield: 4 people

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Materials

• 2.5 lb Pork Belly
• 4 thin slices of Ginger
• 10 cloves of Garlic smashed
• 2 Green Onion
• 1 small Cinamon Stick
• 4 Star Anise
• 5 Red Whole Chili
• ¼ cup of Soy Sauce
• ¼ cup of Dark Soy Sauce
• 4.5 tbsp of Brown Sugar or Rock Sugar
• 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine optional
• ¼ cup of Water

Instructions

• Cut the pork belly into 1-inch pieces. Add the pork belly to a pot filled with water and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes and rinse with cold water. Drain the pork belly and set it aside
• In an Instant Pot, add Pork belly, ginger, garlic, green onion, cinnamon stick, star anise, whole red chili, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, Chinese cooking wine (optional), and ¼ cup of water. Mix everything
• Put the lid on and set it to pressure cook for 25 minutes.
• Pair with rice and garnish with green onion.

Notes

I always make sure to blanch the pork belly first to get rid of the pork’s scum and smell. It also allows the sauce to be purer and the pork belly to aboard all the flavors better. Once you finish blanching the pork belly for 3-5 minutes, rinse clean with cold water before adding it to the Instant Pot. A simple step makes a world of difference, trust me!