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Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce (Tau Yew Bak) is a homey dish with pork belly simmered in an intensely flavorful soy sauce broth. This braised pork belly recipe offers a complex, sophisticated taste that's truly addictive.
Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork)
Tau yew bak—sometimes spelled as tau yu bak—means “soy sauce pork” in the Hokkien dialect. It’s a cherished recipe in my family, passed down from my late mother. This slow-cooked braised pork belly features soft, fatty pork belly steeped in soy sauce, along with extras like firm tofu (tau kua), hard-boiled eggs, and sometimes potatoes and mushrooms.
It’s a comforting dish that brings back memories of shared meals and moments with my family, especially nostalgia for my childhood times with my parents and siblings.
Just the mere mention of tau yew bak sets my stomach rumbling and my mouth watering. I can already imagine the tender braised pork melting in my mouth, perfectly complemented by the savory and utterly appetizing soy sauce gravy. Served with steamed rice and accompanied by sambal belacan as a condiment, it’s an experience that’s truly lip-smackingly good.
The Best Braised Pork Belly Recipe
This is my late mother’s braised pork belly in soy sauce, passed down to me when my parents visited us in 2000. Her tau yew bak was legendary; the pork belly is slowly braised and stewed over low heat in intensely flavorful soy sauce, rendering it soft, tender and juicy. The overall taste is complex, sophisticated, addictive, and utterly delectable.
I added some cracked whole white peppercorns, the secret ingredient that elevates the deliciousness of the recipe.
This is definitely one of the best pork belly recipes I have ever tasted. You should also try these recipes for belly of pork: crispy Chinese roast pork, BBQ Char Siu, and Dongpo Rou stew.
I hope you get to experience the many great tastes of my childhood, where pork is the main meat of choice.
Ingredients
- Pork belly – Choose pork belly with a good amount of fat. The fat should be evenly distributed throughout the meat, as this will contribute to tenderness and flavor during cooking.
- Fried tofu – This is firm tofu, cut and deep-fried. You can make these fried tofu pieces from scratch, or you can buy them already deep-fried and packaged.
- Soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sweet soy sauce – These three ingredients form the basic building blocks of the soy sauce mixture that braises the pork.
- White peppercorn – this is the secret ingredient that adds a peppery note and a tint of heat to the recipe. Additionally, it helps to eliminate any potential “porky” stench from the pork belly, ensuring a more pleasant aroma and flavor in the final dish.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Heat up a pot or preferably a big clay pot with 4 cups of water. Bring it to boil and then add in the garlic, pork belly, and cracked peppercorns.
Step 2: Bring the pork belly to boil before adding the hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium and braise the pork for 30 minutes or so until the pork belly is is cooked through and become tender. Add salt to taste. Continue to simmer on the lowest heat for another 15-20 minutes. Dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, braised pork belly can be made ahead of time and reheated before serving. In fact, the flavors usually improve and become better after sitting overnight in the refrigerator. Simply reheat the braised pork belly on the stovetop before serving
You can make this dish into a meat-free recipe by skipping the pork belly and adding more fried firm tofu, or firm tofu (without frying), as well as soy-based foods such as fu chuk (soybean sticks and sheets). You can also add potatoes (cut into pieces), dried mushrooms, and hard-boiled eggs. Enjoy!
When braising pork in dishes like Tau Yu Bak, you may notice foam or scum rising to the surface of the cooking liquid. This is caused by proteins and impurities being released from the meat as it cooks. To remove the scums, use a spoon or a fine mesh skimmer to skim off the foam and scum that rises to the top, This helps to remove impurities from the cooking liquid and results in a clearer and cleaner broth.
This recipe is 611 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Braised pork belly is often served with steamed rice to soak up the flavorful soy sauce braising liquid. It can also be served with stir-fried vegetables for a balanced meal. Additionally, Taiwanese people love to serve braised pork belly in guabao, or Taiwanese pork belly bun. You may also serve it with steamed buns mantou.
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Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 head garlic, lightly pounded with the back of a cleaver
- 1 lb (500g) pork belly, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon white peppercorn, smashed and cracked
- 5 hard-boiled eggs
- 8 oz (230g) fried firm tofu , bean curd
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce , kecap manis
- 1-2 tablespoons dark soy sauce , add more for your desired color
- Salt , to taste
Instructions
- Heat up a pot, preferably a big clay pot, with 4 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, then add in the garlic, pork belly, and cracked peppercorns.
- Bring the pork belly to boil before adding the hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
- Lower the heat to medium and braise the pork for 30 minutes or so until the pork belly is is cooked through and become tender. Add salt to taste. Continue to simmer on the lowest heat for another 15-20 minutes. Dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.
Video
Notes
- Choose pork belly with a good amount of fat. The fat should be evenly distributed throughout the meat, as this will contribute to tenderness and flavor during cooking.
- Soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sweet soy sauce are three ingredients that form the basic building blocks of the soy sauce mixture that braises the pork.
- White peppercorn is the secret ingredient that adds a peppery note and a tint of heat to the recipe. Additionally, it helps to eliminate any potential “porky” stench from the pork belly, ensuring a more pleasant aroma and flavor in the final dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Taste is spot on. I put in sauces soya and kicap first with meat, garlic and peppercorns. Let it caramelised a little with meat oil. Only added water, dark soya, tofu and eggs. It has a smoky aroma to it.
Michelle, yes, that’s correct.
I am going to try cooking this tomorrow.I shall get back and share the results.TY
Awesome let me know.
As a beginner in cooking, I really love how simple this recipe is and it reciprocates the taste that I can find from mom’s. Great, easy, tasty! Thanks alot for sharing!
Thanks for trying this recipe, yes it’s very homey!
You made me hungry right now. Great recipe! I would like to try it out!
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Funny, I used to think this blog was run by an old auntie until today.
Hi Winston, lol. Thanks for trying my recipes.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I have been wondering on how to make it for years now and always ended up buying from outside whenever I am unable to get mum to cook for me. My mum lives very far away. The taste it similar . LOVE IT!
Awesome, glad you are able to recreate this recipe.
mine version is without white pepper, but i put in star anise, clove, and cinnamon instead.
crush smoked garlic, and put together with all the herb above, add in dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, salt and marinate for 15 minute in a pot. then put the pot on stove and stir it to reduce the water, in order to let the flavour to be absorbed into the meat. when the liquid are almost dried up, add water just enough to cover it. boil it, and then simmer until tender.
Yummy.
Hi, if I am using pork shoulder, will there be any difference in the cooking time?
I don’t eat pork. Is there a different type of meat I can use and how
Thanks for a great site
In the instructions there is no mention of whether to cover the pot while braising. I am planning to cover it for the initial cook and then uncover for the second braise. Correct?
Thanks in advance
Yes cover it to braise. :)