How to Make the Best Rou Zao Fan – Easy & Delicious Recipe

Imagine tender, savory minced pork simmered in a rich, soy-based sauce, generously served over a steaming bowl of fluffy white rice. This is what you expect from a comforting traditional Taiwanese dish called Rou Zao Fan 肉燥饭.

Rou Zao Fan is a simple, easy-to-prepare home-cooked Taiwanese one-pot meal. This Taiwanese braised minced pork dish is a staple in Taiwanese home kitchens. I particularly enjoy the minced pork braised in the aromatic, savory sauce, which creates a symphony of flavors that is irresistibly delicious atop a warm bowl of hot steamed rice.

Let’s dive into the heart of this Taiwanese Rou Zao Fan recipe, and I will explain in detail how to prepare it.

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Key ingredients required and why they are included

• Pork: Ground pork is the main ingredient in this dish. Ground pork should have a fair share of fat, ideally 70% lean and 30% fat. The pork fat adds richness and prevents the meat from drying during cooking. Therefore, if you do not have fatty ground pork, add a small amount of diced pork belly to ensure the tenderness of the ground meat.
• Mushrooms: Dried shiitake mushrooms are ideal as they have an earthy flavor and aroma that complements the pork. It is a common ingredient in many Rou Zao Fan recipes.
• Seasonings: The seasonings are commonly available in any Chinese home kitchen: light soy sauce for saltiness, dark soy sauce for color and depth, oyster sauce for additional umami and sweetness, rock sugar or brown sugar to balance the saltiness, 5-spice powder, and Sichuan peppercorns to enhance the flavor.
• Shallots, ginger, and garlic provide an aromatic base that builds a deep, savory taste. When sprinkled on top before serving, crispy fried shallots add a delightful crunch and aroma to the rice.

How to make Rou Zao Fan – Step-by-step instruction

1. Soak the dried mushrooms until they are softened. The time depends on their size and thickness, but it generally takes more than an hour. If you want to speed up the process, soak them in warm water instead. Once they are softened, cut them into smaller pieces (cubes or slices).

2. Thinly slice the shallots and deep-fry them in vegetable oil over medium-low heat until crispy. For more details, please refer to a separate article on my blog about preparing crispy garlic and garlic oil.

3. Sauté the minced garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Then, add the ground pork and cook over medium heat. Stir-fry the pork until it is no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces with a spatula to ensure even cooking.

4. Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine (or other cooking wine), sugar, and 5-spice powder. Then, add the diced shiitake mushrooms and combine well. Include a cinnamon stick and star anise to deepen the flavors.

5. Add one cup of water or chicken stock, then gently simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld together.

6. Hard-boil two large eggs. Please refer to my article about making perfect hard-boiled eggs for more details. Then, add the eggs to the sauce during the last 15 minutes of braising to absorb the flavors.

7. Spoon the minced pork sauce over steamed rice. Top with crispy fried shallots and chopped green onions, arranging the braised egg on the side to serve.

8. Garnish with green onions for freshness and a pop of color. Serve with green vegetables.

Tips to make the best Rou Zao Fan

• Using rock sugar instead of regular sugar while braising is the best way to make a sauce look glossy.
• Please adjust the amount of soy sauce to match the saltiness and sugar for sweetness. If you prefer a darker meat sauce, increase the dark soy sauce.
• Like many other braised meats, this dish tastes even better the following day as the flavors deepen. Therefore, you can prepare it ahead and simply reheat it before serving.
• Cooking in a Dutch oven is ideal for making a big batch, as it retains heat well and allows for even cooking.
• If you prepare the crispy shallots on the spot, pour them through a fine sieve. Then, use the shallot oil to sauté the ginger and garlic, further improving the flavor.

Serving suggestions

Rou Zao Fan is a flavorful and satisfying dish, but pairing it with the right sides can make the meal even more balanced and enjoyable. Here are some complementary dishes to serve with this Taiwanese thing:

• Blanched or Stir-Fried Vegetables: For example, blanched bok choy, spinach, or gai lan (Chinese broccoli); stir-fried green beans, asparagus, or broccoli with garlic.
• Soup: Egg Drop Soup or Winter Melon Soup.
• Other Braised Items: Such as red braised pork belly or braised tofu.

The Difference between Lu Rou Fan (卤肉饭) and Rou Zao Fan (肉燥饭)

Lu Rou Fan and Rou Zao Fan are popular dishes in Taiwanese cuisine. Both dishes consist of braised pork served over steamed rice, which leads some people to believe they are the same. However, there are distinct differences between them. Below is a summary of those differences. 

If you’re interested in making Lu Rou Fan, please refer to my recipe here.

Lu Rou Fan	Rou Zao Fan
It uses pork belly cut into small, thick chunks.	It uses minced or ground pork, which is finer in texture.
The pork is braised slowly in a soy sauce-based broth until tender and flavorful.	The pork is stir-fried and simmered, resulting in a drier texture.
The sauce is thicker and richer, with a more gelatinous consistency due to the pork belly.	The texture is lighter and less saucy, with a crumbly, minced meat texture.
Often served with a generous amount of sauce poured over rice.	Usually served with less sauce, and the minced pork is evenly mixed into the rice.