Happy almost Mid-Autumn Festival, friends!! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks of Mooncake madness and prepping for my cookbook release (3 more weeks OMG!!!!). Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival and I’ve consumed enough mooncakes for all of us. Mooncakes definitely hog the spotlight during this holiday, but I wanted to share a recipe inspired the family dinners prepared by my Grandma to celebrate the Harvest Moon.

Each family of course has their own set of traditions. For us, the whole family would gather at my grandparents’ house in Cleveland Chinatown for a big dinner. We have all the classics, like roast duck, pork belly, fun see, and countless other shareable plates. Oh, and obviously a plate of mooncakes cut into wedges. But at the end of the meal, my grandma brings out a bowl of steamed taro - the adorable mini taro. We peeled and ate them in her garden while gazing up at the moon. This also felt very poetic to me and I love it.

Since I’m always so far away from my family for the holiday, our typical Mid-Autumn Festival feast is relatively small. This braised pork belly with taro encompasses all my favorite things from my Grandma’s dinner. A Braise felt appropriate for the cozy Fall vibes and cooler temps. Pork belly because it feels like a treat. And of course the taro to symbolize the moon.

Braised Pork Belly with Taro

Serves 4 to 6

2lb pork belly, cut into 2” pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lb baby taro, peeled

2-inch knob of ginger, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

4 cups water

1 cup shaoxing cooking wine

1 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 cup torn cilantro

Green onions, sliced, for garnish

1. Bring a large pot (can be the same pot for braising later) of water to a boil. Add pork and cook for 25 minutes. This step removes any impurities from the pork, making a cleaner braise. Remove the pork from the water and transfer to a plate. 

2. Discard the water from the pot and wipe clean. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pork back into the pot and sear the sides until golden brown, it will sizzle and splatter so be careful!

3. Add the taro, ginger, garlic, water, shaoxing cooking wine, salt, and white pepper. Give it a good stir. Bring the water to a simmer and reduce heat to maintain. Cover with a lid and simmer with the lid on for 2 to 3 hours, until the pork is very tender.

4. 20 minutes before serving, in a small bowl whisk to combine 1/4 cup water, cornstarch, and dark soy sauce. Add to the braise and stir. As the braise continues to simmer the braising liquid will thicken slightly.

5. Add some cilantro and serve the pork belly and taro over rice. Garnish with green onions.