Cherry-Red Braised Pork 樱桃肉
Cherry-Red Braised Pork is featured among the local specialties of Jiangsu.
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Cherry-Red Braised Pork (樱桃肉) is a well-known traditional dish of Suzhou (苏州) cooking, the Subang (苏帮菜) school: small pieces of belly pork braised with sugar and wine until bright red.
How it is made
The cook starts with pork belly (五花肉), cuts it into small pieces and scores each one with a crosshatch of knife cuts. The traditional braising liquid is sugar and wine. According to Chinese Wikipedia, the finished pieces keep their shape without falling apart, turn a glossy bright red and stay small and round, and the taste is fresh and sweet. It was traditionally a spring dish.
Where it comes from
The dish has a court story. Chinese Wikipedia records that the Qianlong emperor (乾隆) of the Qing dynasty tasted it in Suzhou on one of his tours of the south, and that after returning to the palace he engaged the Suzhou chef Zhang Dongguan (张东官). A version stewed with Chinese yam and wine was then entered in the palace kitchen menu records, the Yucha Shanfang Dang (御茶膳房档).
Later the Empress Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后) changed the recipe, cooking real cherries with the pork so that it carried a fruit aroma.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Wuxi glazed pork ribs 无锡酱排骨 →
Both are pork dishes of the Suzhou-Wuxi kitchen; Suzhou's cherry pork is scored belly pork braised with sugar and wine, Wuxi's dish is made with ribs.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-25. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.