Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce

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

Braised pork belly recipe with pork, eggs in soy sauce.

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.

How To Make This Recipe

Garlic, pork belly and cracked peppercorns added into a clay pot.

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.

Hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and dark soy sauce added into the clay pot.

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.

Braised pork belly and fried tofu in a spoon.

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.

Ginger Soy Bok Choy

Garlic Green Beans

Steamed Buns

Chinese Fried Rice

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please share your photo in the Comments section and consider giving it a 5-star rating. I can’t wait to see your creations! Want more easy and delicious recipes?