Braised pork in dark soya sauce

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
- 500g pork shoulder meat (cut into big chunks)
- 10 chinese mushrooms (pre-soaked)
- 10-15 dried chestnuts (pre-soaked)
- 8-10 pieces of dried oysters (pre-soaked)
- 1 star anise
- 2 cloves
- 1.5 whole cloves of garlic (with skin and lightly bruised)
- 4 eggs (pre-boiled till cooked and shell removed)

Seasoning
- Light soya sauce
- Pepper
- Dark soya sauce
- Sesame oil
- 1/3 tsp of five spice powder
- Rock sugar, 4-5 small pieces

Method
- Pre marinate the pork with light soya sauce, pepper and sesame oil.
- Heat the stew pot with cooking oil, and dry fry the meat till half cooked.
- Remove from pot and set aside, leaving the meat juices in the pot to saute the garlic cloves till fragrant. Add more oil if too dry.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes. Combine with pork, dried chestnuts and dried oysters. Season with pepper, dark soya sauce, five spice powder. Add enough hot water until the meat is fully submerged. Simmer for 10mins in medium heat. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 2hours till the meat has softened and the sauce has thickened in texture. If the sauce runs low, add more hot water. You can also add rock sugar half way through the cooking.
- If you will like to add vegetables like carrot and potatoes, add them after 1-1.5hours.
- If you like it saltier, add more dark soya sauce. If you like it sweeter, add more rock sugar. If it's too salty, add more water.