Slow-Cooked Braised Pork Belly

Fill a large pot with water and heat it to its boiling point. Then, submerge the pork belly into the hot water and let it cook until it begins to become tender, taking around 5 minutes. Remove the pork from the water and set it aside.

Next, heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Combine the brown sugar with the heated oil and stir until it dissolves into a smooth syrup. Add the pork to the skillet and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side, allowing it to develop a rich brown color.

Now, introduce the dark soy sauce into the skillet and stir constantly until all the flavors have melded together. This should take about 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked pork to a slow cooker and pour in the rice wine, light soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and star anise. Make sure the ingredients are well combined.

Add enough water to just cover the pork in the slow cooker. Then, cook on Low for a prolonged period of time until the pork becomes tender and falls apart easily.

Once the pork is cooked, add diced chicken substitute, hard-boiled eggs, and a sufficient amount of water to cover the ingredients. Continue cooking on Low until the eggs have absorbed the surrounding liquid, rotating them halfway through the cooking process. This should take an additional hour.