Babi Pangang – Crispy Pork Belly in Red Sauce

In German Chinese restaurants you find babi pangang next to duck and sweet and sour chicken. The name comes from Indonesian: "babi panggang" means roast pork. Chinese-Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands serve it as crispy pork belly in a red, sweet and sour sauce, and the dish reached Germany by way of the Netherlands.

By Laura Chen· October 27, 2026

1 Std 10 Mintotal

4servings

730kcal

ChineseCuisine ›

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You marinate the pork belly for 30 minutes with soy sauce, garlic and five-spice powder, toss it in starch and fry it twice. You cook the sauce from ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar and sugar with onion, bell pepper and ginger. Compared with sweet and sour chicken, it tastes more of tomato and has no pineapple.

You can find more Chinese pork dishes in char siu, the red barbecued pork from Guangzhou, and in sweet and sour pork over rice. Wok-fried rice makes a good side.

Babi Pangang – Crispy Pork Belly in Red Sauce

Name: Babi Pangang – Crispy Pork Belly in Red Sauce
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 600 g lean skinless pork belly; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp five-spice powder (Chinese blend of star anise, cinnamon, fennel, clove and Sichuan pepper); 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; 60 g cornstarch; 1 l vegetable oil for deep-frying; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion, in strips; 1 red bell pepper, in strips; 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 6 tbsp tomato ketchup; 4 tbsp sugar (50 g); 4 tbsp rice vinegar or light white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce); 250 ml water; 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water; 2 scallions, in rings

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

40 minutes

Cook time

30 minutes

Calories

730

Cuisine

Chinese

Ingredients

For the meat:

600 g lean skinless pork belly
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder (Chinese blend of star anise, cinnamon, fennel, clove and Sichuan pepper)
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
60 g cornstarch
1 l vegetable oil for deep-frying

For the sauce:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, in strips
1 red bell pepper, in strips
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp tomato paste
6 tbsp tomato ketchup
4 tbsp sugar (50 g)
4 tbsp rice vinegar or light white wine vinegar
1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
250 ml water
1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
2 scallions, in rings

Instructions

Cut the pork belly into 2 cm cubes. Mix with the soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder and garlic and let it marinate, covered, in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Pat the cubes dry with paper towels and toss them in the starch until all sides are dusted. Shake off the excess starch.
Heat the oil in a tall pot to 170 °C. Fry the meat in 2 batches for 6 minutes each, until light brown, and let it drain on a rack.
For the sauce, stir-fry the onion and bell pepper in 1 tbsp oil for 3 minutes. Add the ginger and tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute.
Stir in the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, kecap manis and water and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.
Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch mixture and simmer for 1 more minute, until glossy.
Heat the oil to 190 °C and fry all the cubes together for 2 minutes, until dark brown and crispy. Cut one piece open: a thermometer should read at least 70 °C inside.
Serve the meat on rice, pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with the scallions.

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Babi Pangang – Crispy Pork Belly in Red Sauce

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