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Taiwanese Braised Pork (Rou Zao Fan)

Taiwanese braised minced pork (Rou Zao Fan) cooked in the microwave using the glass Anyday dish, delivering tender, flavorful pork infused with rich, aromatic spices. Enjoy a quick and authentic meal, ready in minutes.
Taiwanese Braised Pork (Rou Zao Fan)
PT10M PT8M

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

8-9 mins

Free Time

to teach Grandma how to video chat

This traditional Taiwanese dish is simple, soulful, and comforting, reminiscent of a hug from Grandma in a bowl. The flavorful depth of juicy ground pork comes from ingredients like soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, oyster sauce, cooking wine, and Chinese five spice powder (a blend of Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel). Enjoy it over a bed of rice, and you're sure to savor every last bite.

All of Anyday’s recipes are tested (and retested!) in many different microwave and home kitchens to make sure they work— and work well. Unless specified otherwise, all recipes should be cooked at full power.

braised, Meat, Chinese, chinese new year, ground meat, ground pork, lunar new year, pork, Shallow Dish, taiwanese Meat

What You’ll Need

What You’ll Need

The Medium Shallow Dish

Look no further for making poached eggs, desserts, dips, and small portions of meat or fish.

The Medium Deep Dish

The best dish for 1-2 portions of grains, veggies, mac and cheese, ramen, and more.

The Anyhand Mitts

Handle hot Anyday dishes with care with these microwave mitts that double as trivets!
Try Anyday

Select your serving size and microwave wattage in the dropdown. The recipe will change accordingly.

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Select your microwave wattage in the dropdown. The cook times in this recipe will automatically change accordingly.

[[video-wattage]]

To find your microwave’s wattage, look at the front panel, the side of the door, in the back, in the user manual, or Google the model number. If both an input and output wattage are listed, use the output.

Wattage translates to how powerful the microwave is. The higher the wattage, the faster your food will cook. The lower the wattage, the longer the cook time.

When in doubt, start with less time — you can always add more.

700w

Recommended 

Dish

The Medium Shallow Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, corn, etc)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
  • ¼ (30g) medium onion, finely chopped
  • ½ cup (90g) shiitake mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • ¼ cup (60ml) shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 8 oz (225g) ground pork
  • scallions to garnish, thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Add the oil, ginger, onion, mushrooms, and Chinese five spices to the Anyday dish. Cover with the lid (knob lifted).
  2. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes for medium size (3 minutes for large size), or until the onions are soft.
  3. Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sugar, and cornstarch, and mix well until all ingredients are well incorporated.
  4. Continue cooking uncovered for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
  5. Add the ground pork and break it up into smaller pieces with 2 forks or a spatula.
  6. Continue cooking uncovered for 5-6 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and coats the meat evenly. Break the pork into small pieces, mix well, and continue cooking uncovered for 1 more minute.
  7. Sprinkle some scallions and drizzle some sesame oil over the pork and enjoy.

Serving suggestions & tips

  • Enjoy with steamed rice.
  • Great recipe for a sloppy joe alternative.
  • Try it as a filling for lettuce wraps!

Recipe notes

  • Ground beef, chicken, or turkey are great alternatives. If you want a meatless option, try it with cooked lentils.
  • Microwave ovens vary, even with the same wattages. Adjust cooking times as needed.