Red cooking is a Chinese technique for braising meat in a liquid containing a lot of soy sauce, which turns it a reddish brown. This sweet and spicy pork shoulder is a perfect entree to serve with stir-fried veggies and sticky rice. And the best part is that the pork transforms into tender, juicy, and flavorful meat with just forty-five minutes of pressure cooking. Serve it simply with rice, or wrap it in warm flour tortillas with a dollop of hoi sin sauce, some cucumber sticks, and green onion fans, just as you would serve Peking duck.
SERVES 6 TO 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ cup chicken stock or store-bought chicken broth
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon five-spice powder
- One 4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ⅓ cup water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the coarsely chopped onions and sauté for 2 minutes to soften them. Reduce the heat to low and add the soy sauce, mirin, hoisin sauce, sugar, chicken stock, and ketchup. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Set the mixture aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of canola oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, and five-spice powder. Use a sharp knife to make 1-inch slits in the pork shoulder roast, about 2 inches apart. Rub the spice mixture into the meat, pushing it into the slits.
- Place the seasoned pork in the pressure cooker with the onion mixture. Lock the lid in place and cook at high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally and then remove the lid, tilting the pot away from you to avoid the steam. Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
- Skim off any excess fat from the sauce in the pressure cooker. Bring the sauce to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch-water mixture. Return the sauce to a boil and continue whisking until it thickens and becomes glossy. Reduce the heat to low and keep the sauce warm on the stovetop.
- Remove any excess fat from the outside of the pork and slice it into ½-inch thick slices. Transfer the slices to a serving platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side.
