Dongbei Braised Pork Stew

Luàndùn (dōngběi luàndùn, literally 'chaotic stew of the northeast') is the defining expression of Dongbei farmhouse cooking — a practical philosophy of simmering whatever is available until everything is deeply cooked and flavourful, without the separation of ingredients or technique that characterises more refined Chinese cooking styles.

The name is accurate and unapologetic: items go in together and cook together, without the elaborate staging or sequential addition of many Chinese stir-fry and braise methods. The core ingredients are bone-in pork ribs — which provide both the fat base and the main protein — together with a selection of whatever seasonal vegetables are available: aubergine, potato, green beans, courgette, fresh corn on the cob (cut into rounds), and sometimes dried or fresh tofu skin. These are all added to the pot together with a broth of soy sauce, a little Shaoxing wine, star anise, ginger and enough water to cover.

The pot cooks at a slow simmer for 60–90 minutes. During this time the potato pieces crumble at the edges and thicken the broth; the aubergine absorbs the pork fat and becomes silky rather than structured; the pork falls from the bone; the corn softens and sweetens. The result is not a broth with distinct ingredients in it but a unified, thick, intensely savoury stew where the boundaries between components have blurred.

It is served in the clay pot, piping hot, placed in the centre of the table with rice on the side. Portions are large and the dish is intended to warm thoroughly — suited to the winters of Heilongjiang and Jilin, where temperatures can drop to −30°C and farmhouse cooking has historically been about sustained calories rather than refinement.

At Dongbei restaurants it is described on menus as a house staple and typically serves two to three people.