Lu Rou Fan - Taiwanese Braised Pork Over Rice

2 lb pork belly skin-on, diced
½ cup fried shallots (油葱酥) OR use 3 fresh shallots or 1 small purple onion, finely chopped
10 shiitake mushroom use preferably dried ones, soak with cold water until fully soft and dice it up. Optional to retain the water for soaking shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp ginger sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
⅓ cup soy sauce 75-80g
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
15 g rock sugar
2 tbsp rice wine
2½ cups water add more hot water during braising as needed

Slice and then dice the pork belly into small pieces. Make sure each piece includes a bit of skin, fat, and lean meat.

Finely chop the shallots or purple onion. Stir-fry in 2–3 tablespoons of oil over low heat until golden and fragrant. Drain and set aside. You can remove some of the oil, then use the same pan for cooking the pork to build extra flavor.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or deep pan, add the diced pork belly. Pan-fry over medium-low heat until the color changes and some fat starts to render.
Add ginger and garlic, stir fry for 30 seconds to release the aroma.
Stir in the shiitake mushrooms, then add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, and rock sugar. Toss everything together until evenly coated.
Add the spice pack (or five-spice powder), star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick.

Pour in the water (or use the liquid for soaking shiitake mushrooms), just enough to cover the pork. Add in fried shallots. Bring to a gentle boil.
Lower the heat and let it simmer uncovered or partially covered for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

If using, add the peeled hard-boiled eggs after 30 minutes.
Continue simmer for another 30 minutes (with or without the eggs), or until the pork is tender and the sauce has thickened.