Pork is one of the most favored foods in Chinese cuisine. You will hardly found a feast that does not have pork.
Fortunately, the Chinese are very creative, and they have come up with many ways to prepare pork.
Pork is steamed, stir-fried, boiled, glazed, roasted, stewed, used as a filling, and in some instances used to garnish.
Here are some of the fantastic pork recipes I love.
1. Chinese Char Siu Bbq Pork (Oven or Pan-Roasted)
Chinese char siu bbq pork is easy-to-make pork and would be perfect whenever you have a barbecue with family and friends.
This meat is tender; therefore, it can be eaten by children. It is sweet and sticky too. A perfect Char Siu bbq pork is reddish on the outside and a nice light brown inside.
If you have gone to a Chinese restaurant, you have seen Char siu hanging on a hook on display. This dish is made with meat that is neither lean nor very fatty. You can make this pork using an oven or roast it in the pan.
The pork is marinated in sauces so that the flavors are absorbed into the pork. The sauces usually have a red coloring which gives the pork the reddish color.
Alternatively, you can use fermented bean curd while marinating or powdered red yeast rice. But, of course, you can also go without, and your pork will still have a nice color, albeit not red.
You slice the Char Siu and serve it with a sweet dipping sauce and stir-fried noodles or yang zhou fried rice on the side. You can also include slices of cucumber on the side and maybe soup.
Here is the recipe.
2. Chinese Sweet and sour pork
This is a popular Chinese dish worldwide. Sweet and sour pork is delicious. I love it when sour meets sweet.
Sweet and sour pork is delicious and can be eaten for any meal. It is tender and the right amount of spicy. The sauce is what gives this pork the name sweet and sour.
You need readily available ingredients like pineapple chunks, white onions, sesame seeds, white pepper, vinegar, sugar, etc.
You will have to marinate the pork first and, coat it, and then deep fry it. Finally, you will stir fry it with the sauce.
Serve this hot with your other favorite Chinese dishes like fried rice.
Here is the recipe.
3. Slow cooker garlic ginger pork
I do not think there is any meat I can cook without ginger. Ginger is a flavourful aromatic spice that is often underrated. That makes this recipe one of my best as it gives credit where it is due.
This is a delicious and easy Chinese pork recipe. However, I must warn you; it will need about 5 hours to cook though you will not be in the kitchen a lot.
If you do not love the smell of pork that much, then this is the recipe you should go for as the ginger smell, flavor and taste blends so well with the porks, or depending on the amount you used, overpowers it.
I reserve slow cooker garlic ginger pork for either Wednesday dinners or Saturday lunch. This is because I have a lot of time to cook on those days.
When preparing this dish, it is important to caramelize the pork first. This will help brown your pork and produce unique meaty flavors and smells.
You can eat it over rice, potatoes, noodles or whatever you prefer. You can also eat it as it is without a complementing dish. Enjoy
Here is the recipe.
4. Hunan pork stir fry
If you know a lot about Chinese cuisine, you know that it consists of eight culinary traditions from different regions of China.
Different cooking techniques and ingredients characterize these different culinary traditions.
These culinary traditions include Cantonese, Anhui, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Szechuan, and Hunan cuisines.
Hunan cuisine is known to be very spicy. It is usually confused with Szechuan cuisine, but the Hunan cuisine is spicier and hotter.
They use hotter peppers that are more aromatic than the pepper used in other cuisines.
Hunan pork stir fry is a typical dish in Hunan cuisine and is super easy to make. This pork does not require complicated ingredients to cook it.
All you need for this pork is pork belly, pork butt or tenderloin, lard from the pork belly, cornstarch, Chinese long line pepper, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.
When you serve this dish, you can serve it hot with a side dish. Since this dish is spicy, if you cannot stand a lot of pepper, start with the meat first.
Here is the recipe.
5. Chinese braised pork belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Hong Shao Rou is a popular dish that is common among the Chinese. It has an inviting, red delicious look that will make you hungry tenfold.
Making Hong Shao Rou is quite demanding hence ideal for the weekend. It takes a significant amount of time to cook well, and therefore, you must be patient. But, I guarantee you, the result is worth it.
This pork belly is braised with different spices and sauces that are flavourful and have a fantastic aroma. The braising liquid (I sometimes like to call it sauce) consists of soy sauce, spices, sugar, and different aromatics that bring a divine aroma to the pork belly.
First, however, before braising, you should caramelize the meat using melted sugar to make it sweet. This brings the sweet taste that you feel whenever you eat Chinese pork belly.
You should braise your pork for two and a half hours as this will give you enough time to cook and be tender. Because of this long cooking time, the meat will become so soft; it would feel like every bite is melting in your mouth with flavor.
Serve this dish while hot over a bowl of cauliflower rice. Enjoy.
Here is the recipe.
6. Peking pork chops
You have probably seen Peking pork on a Chinese buffet at your favorite restaurant. This thin-cut sweet, spicy and sour pork is to die for.
I love how the chinses toss almost all their dushes in spicy, sweet sauces. This makes a dish that is simple to change from basic to fancy in seconds.
Peking pork chops is a sweet, sour, and heavenly dish that originated from Wuxi. This pork chops are cut from spare ribs and chopped into sizable sizes. They are then marinated in sweet red sauce, giving the pork the pleasantly sweet taste and slightish red color.
All you need for this dish is pork, eggs( in the marinade), rice wine vinegar that tenderizes the meat and adds a slight sourness, sugar, condiments, cornstarch, and sauces.
The perfect Peking pork chops are crispy on the outside but also firm. It is also glazed, and the glazing is sweet, sometimes sticky. The inside is tender and flavourful.
Your Peking pork chops will be perfectly seasoned and soft at the end. If you want to add some heat, ensure you add some chili flakes while making the sauce. Serve with your favorite side dish.
Here is the recipe.
7. Honey garlic pork chops
If you want to prepare your pork chops restaurant-style, then you are at the right place; this is the perfect recipe for you. By far, it is the easiest honey garlic recipe I have found online that works so well.
This recipe yields thin, crispy honey garlic pork chops that are irresistible. This mouthwatering dish is made from a few common ingredients that are budget-friendly. It is perfect for a date night since it looks fancy and well thought of.
Every bite of this honey garlic pork chops is an entirely different experience, and the burst of complex flavors is unforgettable. If you are gluten intolerant, enjoy this dish by adjusting the recipe to suit your needs.
For example, use coconut or tamari aminos as a substitute for soy sauce. Additionally, substitute Shaoxing wine with dry sherry. Finally, replace flour with cornstarch.
All you need is 30 minutes to prepare this dish, making it one of the fastest Chinese dishes you can make.
First, marinate for 29 minutes, then coat your pork and deep fry your pork. Finally, you will cook your pork in the sauce. How easy is that?
Serve this delicious pork while still hot as a main dish.
Here is the recipe.
8. Classic pork fried rice
I love how in Chinese cuisine, different foods are mixed to form something unbelievably tasty. Also, unlike most complicated American dishes that we are used to, Chinese classic dishes recipes are straightforward.
This classic pork fried rice is another simple dish to make that you can enjoy at any time despite the occasion and location.
You might have seen this dish in your favorite Chinese restaurant menu, but I will teach you how to make it at home that you shall never call to order again.
Pork-fried rice is delicious, fresh, and flavourful. It looks so good, too; therefore, there is no reason to garnish. You can have it ready in only 20 minutes, making it perfect for any day of the week.
You need ordinary ingredients that I am sure you already have in your pantry. You should ensure you have Chinese cooking wine if you are new to Chinese dishes and do not have it in your kitchen.
Fried rice looks perfect on the table, and you can serve it as a side dish or make it the main meal. Serve it how with some veggies or a bowl of soup.
If you like it spicy, add some pepper to give it that fantastic kick. Your family and kids will love this meal, therefore, cook a lot of it.
Here is the recipe.
9. Sticky honey ginger pork
If you are used to the usual American-style fried pork, then it is time you spice things up a bit. Food should be your outlet for creativity.
It is your art, and you can make it however way you want it. That is what I thought when I came across this recipe.
I have made honey garlic pork chops before, and it has always been excellent, but when I saw this recipe, I wanted to try something different. I wanted to see how this little twist with ginger would come out, and Lord, was it amazing.
First of all, I love how honey makes pork look so yummy and sticky. This Chinese dish has to be one of the best pork recipes in the world.
Being an American, I had enjoyed a lot of sticky honey ginger chicken but not pork. This pork is sweet and spicy.
To get the best result, you should use pork loin. This is because it is pretty lean. The dish is supposed to be spicy; therefore, if you can get it, use sriracha, an aromatic, hot chili sauce. Caution! Sriracha is hot. Therefore be careful to add the amount that is bearable for you.
Use a runny sauce and let it cook for a bit so that it thickens perfectly to form the sticky sauce we love so much in this pork.
Serve this pork while hot with a drizzle of mayonnaise and a side of rice. Enjoy.
Here is the recipe.
10. Cantonese style zongzi (Rice dumplings)
Dumplings are the best part of a dim sum menu, and this zongzi tops the list pants down. Zongzi, sometimes called Joongin, is a Cantonese dish that is savory, sweet, and full of flavors.
Other people call it Tamale, which is rice that has been wrapped then boiled, but it is just a little bit different.
Zongzi is a traditional Chinese dish that is usually eaten during Duanwu Festival. It is delicious, and every bite is fantastic.
It consists of duck egg yolk that is salted and some pork belly. Zongzi should be yellow and has a mild flavor. You can take it alone or with meat.
Since higher chances are I will hardly ever attend a Duanwu festival, and if I do, it will not be soon, I decided to try this recipe in my kitchen. Disclaimer! Making zongzi is a lot of work. You have to put on the hours.
It takes about two days to make this dish, maybe that is why it is only eaten once a year during the festival.
However, this recipe is easy to follow, and the steps are written in an easy-to-understand way. First, soak the leaves that you will use to wrap overnight.
Ensure they are clean before you use them to wrap. Always soak them because when they dry out, they will not make perfect wrappers.
You should also soak the rice overnight. Soak the peanuts too overnight to soften up a bit, and then boil them the following day to soften up.
Additionally, marinade the pork overnight too. Ensure the pork is slightly too salty. You will need Chinese sausages too and egg yolks.
The most challenging task is to wrap the rice. It needs a little bit of expertise and practice. However, ensure it is wrapped before letting it boil. You do not want it unwrapping during boiling to create a mess.
After you are done cooking, you will have sweet, savory, and slightly spiced zongzi that you can serve during a party.
Here is the recipe.
11. Pork chive dumplings
Pork chive dumplings is a classic Chinese dish that has existed for so long. It has existed longer than most dumplings. You need Chinese chives to make this recipe a success.
In some grocery stores, it will be called garlic chives. If you like to plant your spices, you can plant this. They grow so fast and wild.
You can make your dumpling wrappers using this recipe, or if you are a little short on time, you can buy them in your local Asian store.
You need only a few locally available ingredients for these dumplings. You need ground pork, chopped Chinese chives, soy sauce, eggs, oil, all-purpose flour, and water. How simple is that?
You will have to knead the dough first that you will use to make the wrappers. Pay attention to the measurements of ingredients stipulated in the recipe because the consistency of the dough will determine how soft or hard your dumpling is.
Ensure you mix all the ingredients required in the recipe to create the perfect filling for your dumplings.
You can add other ingredients and spice up your filling as you would love to. Add some chili if you lick for that hot kick.
Wrap your filling and boil your dumplings. You as well steam or panfry them. A friend taught me a trick sometime back; adding some vinegar in the boiling water if you want your dumplings to be as white as possible.
Serve your dumplings with chili sauce, vinegar, or any dumpling sauce you love. Enjoy.
Here is the recipe.
12. Pork dumpling with napa cabbage
Pork is the most common dumpling filling. You would even find some beef and chicken dumplings having some bit of pork.
It is the same case here. This is a dumpling that consists of pork and cabbage.
Want to try more pork recipes?
- Dongpo Pork – Dong Po Rou
- Pork Tenderloin Stir-Fry
- Shredded Pork With Garlic Sauce – Step BY Step Guide
- The Three Secrets To Making The Perfect Braised Pork With Rice (Lu Rou Fan)
- Japanese Sizzling Ginger Pork
- Perfect Red Braised Pork Belly
- Stewed Pork Vermicelli
- Most Delicious Pork Chili – Classic Chinese Pork Stir Fry Recipe
- Authentic Peking Pork With Peking Sauce
- Hunan Pork Recipe – Easy And Classic
- Sweet And Sour Pork With Pineapple
- Deep Fried Pork Tenderloin
- Steamed Minced Pork With Preserved Vegetables
First of all, being an American with parents who grew up in Africa, I have enjoyed some African dishes growing up. They are simply delicious, and I tend to cook some of them for my kids too.
However, my parents used to make ugali( a dish made from maize flour), pork, and cabbage as a kid growing up. I was not too fond of it.
That is why it was a wonder that I loved this pork and cabbage dumpling. When I tried this recipe, I was very skeptical.
This was one evening when my son came back home after eating it at a friend’s party and kept saying how delicious it was. I tried it. And boy! Was my son right?
This is a soft, chewy, and tasty dumpling that is one of my favorites today. It is a classic delicacy that most Chinese from northern chins grew up enjoying.
You need pork, scallions, dried shrimp, cabbage, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn for this meal to be a success.
In this recipe, you will be able to make the wrappers from scratch. It is straightforward. But if you prefer, you can get wrappers from a store at a very affordable price.
Serve this delicacy with your favorite sweet dipping sauce and other dim sum dishes if you have guests and enjoy.
Here is the recipe.
Conclusion
Pork is a delicious healthy meal that many people love. Pork allows you to be as creative as you want, and you can manipulate it as much as you want. The Chinese knew this hence the reason why it is prepared in so many ways in Chinese cuisine.
I have provided many simple pork recipes that are ideal for different occasions. You should try them out whenever you are looking to try out something different. Enjoy.
