Taiwanese Meat Sauce with Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced shallots
• 2 pounds ground pork
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 1 cup Chinese rice cooking wine
• Water

Directions

1. Set up a large plate with 3 layers of paper towels. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil to 325 degrees F, then tweak the flame as needed to keep it there. Add the shallots and fry them, moving them constantly with a slotted spoon or wire mesh spider, until they look light golden with just a few browned spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Move them right away to the paper towel-lined plate so they can drain. Save 1 tablespoon oil, and keep the remaining oil for another use. Once the shallots have cooled, gently crush them and put them aside.
2. Pour the reserved oil into a large Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the pork and cook, stirring now and then, until it is cooked through and just starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and crushed fried shallots, and cook until the pan smells wonderful, about 1 minute longer. Add the five-spice powder and sugar, and stir everything together. Pour in both soy sauces and the wine, then add just enough water to cover, if needed, and bring it all to a boil. Lower the heat so the sauce simmers gently, and leave the pot partly covered. Cook until the pork is fully tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened, 3 to 4 hours. Serve with steamed rice.