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This Taiwanese braised minced pork is made with juicy ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, tofu, and more. It’s an easy make-ahead dish that doubles as comfort food!
This Taiwanese braised minced pork recipe, also called ‘ro zao’ in Mandarin (or Lu Rou Fan 滷肉飯), is probably my favorite dish that reminds me of home and childhood. My mom would make this for us all the time, and it is a traditional Taiwanese dish that we loved (and still do!).
Braised minced pork makes the entire house smell SO good. Honestly, whenever I make this, the scent immediately brings me back to the house I grew up in. And, when I first started living on my own, I asked my mom to teach me how to make this because it was serious comfort food for me, and it’s so easy to make a big batch of it to have throughout the week.
The pork itself is tender and juicy, the shiitake mushrooms are perfectly meaty, and the hearty hard-boiled eggs add an extra dose of protein. You’re not going to want to miss out on this filling minced pork recipe so let’s get into it!
Oh, and if you’re looking for more Asian pork dinners, check out this crispy pork katsu, or these Asian pork meatballs.
Why You’ll Love This Minced Pork Recipe
This Chinese ground pork recipe is a must-have for your recipe box! Here’s why:
- Flavorful. This minced pork is cooked in salty soy sauce and warm, earthy five spice powder – a mouthwatering combination!
- Great for make-ahead meals. Like I mentioned above, you can make a big batch of this ground pork for easy lunches during the week that the whole family will love.
- Comforting. At the end of a long day, this juicy minced pork with mushrooms served over a bed of fluffy rice really hits the spot.
Recipe Ingredients
It doesn’t take much to make this Taiwanese minced pork! Here’s everything you’ll need (exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below):
- Tofu – Spiced dry tofu is perfect for this recipe.
- Mushrooms – I like to add shiitake mushrooms, but if you don’t have those, portobello mushrooms will do in a pinch.
- Ground Pork – Ground turkey or ground chicken could also work, but I wouldn’t try ground beef.
- Chinese Five Spice Powder – To add warm, slightly sweet, earthy flavor.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs – To make the meal more filling and to add extra protein. You can leave them out if you’re not a big fan.
- Soy Sauce – Feel free to use either low sodium soy sauce or regular soy sauce.
- Water – You’ll need water for hard-boiling the eggs and for pouring over the minced pork so that the salty flavor of the soy sauce does not overwhelm the dish.
- Fried Scallions – You can usually find these at Asian marts in large plastic jars.
- Cornstarch – To thicken up the sauce/extra liquid a little bit.
What Does Braised Minced Pork Taste Like?
The predominant flavor is Chinese five spice and soy sauce, but it’s hard to explain how good these flavors are together. Chinese five spice is a warming spice and it has anise in it, but I don’t think it has a particularly strong licorice flavor. Honestly, this is one dish that you just have to make at home to truly understand what I mean about flavor and smell.
How to Make Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork
This simple ground pork masterpiece comes together in a few easy steps. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
- Hard-boil the eggs. Put your eggs in a small pot and fill it up with water to cover them. Put it on the stove and hard-boil your eggs for about 7-10 minutes.
- Prepare the mushrooms and tofu. Soak your dried mushrooms in hot water to soften them. While the mushrooms are soaking, dice the tofu into cubes. After your mushrooms are softened, slice them into cubes as well.
- Peel the hard-boiled eggs. Once your eggs are done, run them under cold water and then peel off the shells.
- Cook the ground pork. In a medium-sized pot on high heat, cook your pork. When the pork is halfway done cooking, add in the tofu, mushrooms, and fried scallions.
- Add in the soy sauce. You want a dark brown color from the soy sauce, so you might need more than a cup of it. After you’ve added that, you can add in the 5 spice powder. Stir and cook everything for about 5 minutes, then cover the entire pork mixture with water (it takes about 3.5 cups usually).
- Add in your eggs. Bury them with the pork and liquid. Bring the liquid mixture to a boil and then let it simmer on low on the stove for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally (but be careful not to puncture the eggs, you want them to be pretty!).
Tips for Success
We’re almost there! I just have a few more tips and tricks to share with you that will make the cooking process for this Chinese ground pork even easier:
- Let the mixture simmer. The longer you let minced pork simmer, the more flavorful it is, so I usually like keeping it on low for an hour or more (by the end, the liquid is mostly cooked out).
- For a thicker consistency in the liquid. If you want a thicker liquid consistency, you can add in cornstarch (prepare the cornstarch by putting it in a small bowl and mixing it with water, then pour the cornstarch mixture into the pork mixture while it is on the stove).
- Feel free to customize the recipe to fit your preferences. A lot of this recipe is based on taste. The recipe I gave above is what I used to achieve the way my mom has made this meal. You can, of course, tailor it to your taste buds with more or less soy sauce, more or less 5 spice powder, more or less mushrooms… etc.
What Goes With Minced Pork?
There are a bunch of sides that you can serve with minced pork. Here are some of my favorites:
- Rice. I usually serve my minced pork over a bed of white rice or rice noodles.
- Salad. This smashed Asian cucumber salad is a great choice, or you could try this spicy Chinese cucumber salad.
- Vegetables. This Chinese cabbage stir fry makes a great light veggie side dish.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
Storing minced pork for later is super easy! Here’s the best way to preserve your leftovers:
- To store. Keep your leftovers in the fridge in a covered/airtight container for 4-5 days.
- To reheat. Once you take the leftovers out of the fridge, you’ll see fatty bits that have floated to the top and hardened. You can either scrape them off, or reheat the pork with them and they will just melt.
More Easy Pork Recipes
Looking for more easy pork dinner ideas? These ones are guaranteed hits!
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Apricot Balsamic Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Mini BBQ Pork Sliders
- Oven Roasted Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Korean Pork Tacos
Photography by Ari Laing
Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork (滷肉飯)
Ingredients
- 1 package of spiced dry tofu
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) ground pork
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 cup (237 ml) or more of soy sauce
- 3 ½ cups (828 ml) water
- 1 ½ tablespoons of fried scallions, (you can usually find this at Asian marts, they come in a large plastic jar most of the time)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Prepare and cook your rice according to instructions (I have a rice cooker so I just popped my rice & water in there).
- In a small pot, put your eggs in and fill it up with water to cover the eggs. Put on stove and hard-boil your 4 eggs for about 7-10 minutes.
- Soak your dried mushrooms in hot water to soften them. While the mushrooms are soaking, dice the tofu into cubes.
- After your mushrooms are softened, slice them into cubes as well.
- Once your eggs are done, run them under cold water and then peel off the shells.
- In a medium sized pot, on high heat, cook your pork. When the pork is halfway done cooking, add in the tofu, mushrooms and fried scallions.
- Add in the soy sauce. You want a dark brown color from the soy sauce so you might need more than a cup of soy sauce. After you’ve added in the soy sauce, you can add in the 5 spice powder. Stir and cook everything for about 5 minutes then take 3.5 cups of water (more or less) to cover the entire pork mixture.
- Add in your (whole) eggs. Bury them with the pork and liquid. Bring the liquid mixture to a boil and then let it simmer on low on the stove for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally (but be careful not to puncture the eggs, you want them to be pretty!).The longer you let it simmer, the more flavor, so I usually like keeping it on low for an hour or more and wait until the liquid is mostly cooked out. If you want the thicker liquid consistency, you can add in corn starch (prepare the corn starch by putting the corn starch in a small bowl and mixing it with water then pouring the corn starch mixture in the pork mixture while on the stove).
- Serve over rice and enjoy!!
Notes
- A lot of this recipe is based on taste. The recipe I gave above is what I used to achieve the way my mom has made it and the way I’ve grown up with. You can of course tailor it to your taste buds with more or less soy sauce, more or less 5 spice powder, more or less mushrooms..etc. If you have questions, feel free to ask!
- To store. Keep your leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for 4-5 days.
- To reheat. Once you take the leftovers out of the fridge, you’ll see fatty bits that have floated to the top and hardened. You can either scrape them off, or reheat the pork with them and they will just melt.
Hi. Tried your recipe and it seems to salty and too much like soy without any other flavors developing. Its nothing like the flavor I’ve tasted in Taiwan or here in China at Taiwanese restaurants. Do you know what the problem is? If so how van I rectify this? Thanks
Hi, if it’s too salty, add more water or use less soy sauce. How old is your Chinese Five Spice? How long are you letting this simmer to develop flavor?
@Julie Chiou, Thanks for the reply. I had it simmering for around an hour and a half. The age of my Chinese Five Spice is probably an issue because it not something I use regularly so not sure how long its been in my cupboard. I’ll have another try next week after bought new spices and I’ll probably try a different brand of onions. The ones I bought tasted like the ones you sprinkle on a hotdog. I’ll also add the soy in stages until reaches the salty soy level I prefer. I appreciate your help and I will let you know how I get on.
Hi! Can I use dried onions instead? Thatโs all I have. Thanks!!
Yep!
My husband is Taiwanese and boy was he excited to hear me say I was going to try making ro zao. Wasnโt able to get to wegmans to pick up the dried shiitakes or fried scallions but it still turned out great (but Iโll pick them up for next time. Lol) I have young kids and they were just gobbling this up. The house smelled soooooooo good too!
Can you give more information on the spiced dry tofu? I haven’t been able to find any so far.
Hi sorry! Do you have an asian grocery store near you?
Iโm making this right now and it already smells and tastes amazing!!! Thank you.
awesome!!
I just watched your snaps and had to come look at this since you said the pictures weren’t good. I have to say, you have come SO far in your writing and photography! I have my own food blog and I’m constantly stressing about the quality of my photography and writing but this gives me hope seeing how much you’ve changed. (I hope that doesn’t sound rude ?) I absolutely love your blog style now. Thank you for all you do!
Haha, not rude at all! Thank you! I’m glad that there’s been change otherwise I would consider myself stagnant!
No sugar needed here?
P.S. I cooked your Honey Soy Chicken, sooooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mic, nope, no sugar needed! If you feel yours needs sugar, you can add it, but I didn’t need any for mine! I’m so glad you enjoyed the honey soy chicken! :)
Oh my.. just looking at the egg makes my mouth water! This looks just like what my mother in law makes,and since she went back to Taiwan we have been deprived of REAL asian food (i’m canadian so i have no idea how to make it!) But now I will definitely have to try this!! Thank you!!!