About 1 to 1.5 lb pork, in one piece (she used a cut labeled chashu meat, likely pork shoulder/picnic; pork belly works too)
1 scallion
3 garlic cloves
A small piece of ginger
3 star anise
1 clove
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sake
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
Hot water, to cover
To serve
Cooked white rice
Eggs, for a soft scramble
Scallions, finely shredded
Directions
The night before (or at least 12 hours ahead): in a container, combine the scallion, garlic, ginger, star anise, clove, bay leaf, soy sauce, mirin, sake, white peppercorns, MSG, dark brown and white sugar, salt and dark soy sauce. Massage everything together.
Add the pork and coat it all over in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours (she marinated 18), flipping the pork halfway through so both sides soak up the flavor.
When ready to cook, pat the pork lightly dry. Over medium-low heat, sear it on all four sides until deeply golden and caramelized.
Pour in all the reserved marinade, then add hot water to just cover the pork. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 1 hour.
Uncover, raise the heat to high, and reduce the braising liquid until thick and glossy. This is the soul sauce.
Make a soft scramble and spoon it over a bowl of hot white rice. Slice the chashu and lay it over the egg and rice, spoon over plenty of the glossy sauce, and finish with a generous pile of finely shredded scallions.
Japanese-style chashu don: milder and simpler than Chinese char siu, almost teriyaki-like, and made with the fewest ingredients. Pork marinates 12 to 18 hours, gets seared, then braises an hour before the liquid is reduced into a glossy soul sauce. Served over white rice with a soft scrambled egg and shredded scallions. Caption gave the braise seasonings (bilingual Chinese/English); the method was transcribed from the reel. Via Instagram @ahcheeeen (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeHb7jwu55W/).
