Taiwanese Shallot Sauce Meat
ONE SAUCE, MANY WAYS TO SERVE, IDEAL FOR MEAL PREP & LUNCH BOXES!
This is a recipe for Taiwanese-style shallot sauce meat (红葱酱肉) using minced pork, made in an extremely easy & fast way (but nevertheless very delish!) This is my family trusted recipe as I have been making this dish for years. It keeps well easily in the fridge for 5 days, so I always cook more for the purpose of meal prep, and I will have an easier life on weekday nights. This sauce is versatile in its uses – I can make (simplified) lu rou fan (braised pork rice/滷肉飯) or lu rou mian (braised pork noodles/滷肉麵) with it. Or cook the leftover mince with some French beans for a fast weekday stir fry. My family’s favourite way is to use this sauce as a meat topping over sacha sauce noodles. They are excellent for lunch boxes too! I’ll be posting two lunch box recipes using this shallot sauce meat.
Related Lunch Box Recipes
I have been making this shallot sauce meat for many years back at my old home. But I stopped making this dish after I moved to my new place (covid & adjustment issues). It’s been slightly more than a year now, and I’m glad to feature this favourite family recipe now that I am settled in my current home!
See Also:
BULL HEAD SHALLOT SAUCE
My secret to making this shallot sauce mince meat so quickly is due to this Bull Head shallot sauce (紅蔥醬). I discovered this bottled shallot sauce in Taiwan, back when I was doing my yearly extended stay in Taipei. It’s from the same maker as the famous sacha sauce (沙茶醬) in Taiwan. When I was at the supermarkets, I noticed the locals picking up this sauce, so I decided to try it. It was a life-changing discovery! The sauce has a lot of flavour on its own, and it does not contain preservatives. It used to be difficult to find this sauce in Singapore, but nowadays I can get it at Prime Supermarket or Sheng Siong (seasonal).
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STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
First, heat wokpan with oil. Spread out the minced pork one layer in the pan. Let the meat brown slightly before stir-frying the meat.
Tip: For best results, use mince meat with a bit of fats in them.
When the meat is evenly stir-fried, add thinly sliced shallots and stir fry briskly until the shallots start to soften.
Add spoonfuls of shallot sauce, spreading them out evenly among the meat. Stir fry until the minced meat is evenly coated in the shallot sauce.
Add water and seasonings (such as soy sauce, pictured above). When the sauce bubbles, cover with lid and simmer for about 10 minutes.
This is the completed shallot meat sauce. There should be some liquid sauce left after simmering. You can keep the meat sauce in the fridge for about 5 days, making it ideal for meal prep. You can add cooked whole eggs to soak in the sauce in the food container during this time.
Enjoy!!
Taiwanese Shallot Sauce Meat Recipe
The resultant dish after simmering should have some liquid sauce and a thin layer of fats, making it ideal to be drizzled over rice & noodles. Do add more water if there is not much sauce left after cooking due to reduction, and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
Check out the ingredients and step-by-step photos on the previous page.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 500g minced pork (or chicken) preferably with some fats on
- 100g thinly sliced shallot (or red onion)
- 3 tbsp Bull Head shallot sauce
(A) Sauce
- 200 ml water add more if needed
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- few dashes white pepper powder
- few drops Maggi seasoning when the dish is done optional
Directions:
- Cook mince pork. Heat oil in a wokpan. Add minced pork, spreading them one layer in the pan. Let the meat brown slightly on its own, then stir-fry the meat, breaking the mince to smaller pieces with the spatula as you do so.
- Add shallots as soon as the minced pork is cooked on the surface. Stir fry briskly until the shallots start to soften.
- Add shallot sauce and stir fry until the meat is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Simmer. Add sauce (A). When the sauce starts to bubble, cover with lid and simmer for about 10 minutes. Top up with more water if needed, and season to taste.
- Meal prep tips. Let the sauce cool down completely before storing in a tightly-lid food container. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also add some cooked eggs to soak in the sauce. The sauce & fats will solidify in the fridge – just use a metal spoon to scoop out what you need, and reheat in the microwave or stove top until warmed & liquid again.
- Serving suggestions. Serve this meat sauce with rice or noodles coated with sesame oil + soy sauce. You can also use make this sacha meat sauce noodles recipe.
Cooking Note(s):
- If you like a darker sauce, add a small amount of dark soy sauce to taste.
- You can do slight variations whenever you make this dish, such as adding dried mushrooms or bean curd skin.