Hong Shao Zhu Rou 红燒猪肉 Braised Pork

Growing up, I ate a lot of hong shao rou (braised meat)- mostly pork and sometimes beef. Sometimes my mom would make braised pork spare ribs (you can easily replace the pork shoulder with short spare ribs), and those were even better.  This is a dish I learned by watching her make it so many times, so I definitely do it by feel. I love this dish because it's forgiving and rather simple; it just requires some time to wait for the meat to get nice and tender. Please, do yourself a favor and do not use lean meat with this.
Also, the best part is the sauce, so make sure you  add some of the sauce on the rice when you eat it!
I like serving this with brown rice and sauteed green veggies.

红燒猪肉 (Braised Pork)
2 servings + leftovers
-1 Tbsp canola oil (or any neutral oil)
-1 lb pork butt or fattier pork meat (some sort of bone-in pork would be great, too!)
-1/2 Tbsp sugar, or more to taste
-2 Tbsp rice wine
-3 thin slices of ginger
-2-3 star anise
-3 Tbsp soy sauce
-5-6 shiitake mushrooms, soaked in cold water for ~30 minutes or until soft, or fresh and unsoaked

Other hearty veggie add-ins (pick one): peeled and chopped to a similar size as the pork
-Winter Bamboo (冬筍)- 1 bamboo
-Potatoes and carrots- 1 1/2 cups

-Heat oil in a 3 or 4 qt saucepan. While it is heating, slice the pork into 1 1/2 inch dice.
-When the heat is hot / shimmering / lost its viscosity, cook the meat until it is gray or no longer pink/red anywhere. It doesn't have to be browned. The point of this step is to semi-cook the meat and not end up with cooked bloody shards in the sauce (ew =( ) The slightly healthier alternative: lightly boil the meat in WATER until the meat is no longer pink/red on the outside. Drain the meat.
-Transfer the meat to a bowl.
-If you used the pseudo-browning method, just add some sugar (start with 1/2 Tbsp to start) in the residual oil until the sugar starts to brown. If you used the healthier method, add 1 tsp oil, then the sugar. Stir the sugar over medium high heat until it starts to brown. Immediately add the meat and accumulated juices back into the pan, stirring well.
-Stir in the rice wine, then add ginger, star anise, soy sauce, mushrooms, and enough water to cover everything 3/4 way. Taste the sauce, and add soy sauce or sugar for more savory/sweetness.
-Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour, until the meat is tender and almost falling apart. If you want to add veggies, winter bamboo is hearty enough to add in at the same time as the rice wine. If using potatoes and carrots, add them when the meat is 3/4 done (after about 40-45 minutes).
This dish is easily made in advance and reheated before serving. Feel free to scrape off the fat that rises to the top of the sauce when it cools, if you want to watch your calories!