Red braised pork belly with quail eggs

Cut the pork belly into 1-inch-thick strips, then into cubes.

Put the pork in a big pot of water and bring to a boil over medium heat with the lid partly on so it does not overflow.

Skim off the scum with a sieve so the sauce ends clear and glossy; remove the pork and set aside.

Preheat the clay pot, add the oil and sugar and stir over medium-low heat a few minutes to caramelize, until foamy bubbles appear.

Add the blanched pork with the cooking wine to drop the temperature so the sugar does not burn; stir a minute to evaporate the alcohol.

Add the ginger slices and scallion stalks; season with the soy sauce, oyster sauce and douban jiang.

Pour in the water and five spice powder and stir until mixed.

Simmer on a back burner about one and a half hours until tender.

Boil the quail eggs 3 minutes (chicken eggs 8 minutes).

Pour off the hot water and rinse the pan and eggs with cold water several times; put on the lid and shake to crack the shells, then peel.

Add the eggs to the clay pot and keep braising until the pork is tender, checking now and then that it is not boiling dry and topping up with hot water if needed.

Discard the scallions and ginger; turn the heat to high and stir constantly to reduce the thin liquid to a glossy glaze.

Serve with white rice.