Braised Pork with Five-Spice Powder

I found a recipe of braised pork with five-spice powder in Famous Cuisine magazine and decided to try it out yesterday. But when cooking halfway, I took a sip of the gravy and find that the taste is a tad bland for my liking, so I modified the recipe slightly to enhance the flavour. I'm quite satisfied with the end result, especially the gravy which I stirred into my porridge and finished in a few gulps. ;-)

Braised Pork with Five-Spice Powder Recipe (五香卤肉)
(Adapted from Famous Cuisine Magazine, issue 48)

Ingredients:
500g pork belly
100g shallots, chopped
5 garlic cloved, chopped
500ml water

Marinade:
1-2 tbs five-spice powder
1 tbs salt

Seasonings:
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tbs light soy sauce
1/2 tbs dark soy sauce

Method:
1) Heat up 2 tbs of oil in a preheated wok, then stir-fry chopped shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add in sugar and cook until it is dissolved.
2) Put in pork belly and shallow-fry until aromatic.
3) Pour in water, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, bring to boil, cover and stew at low heat for 30-45 minutes, until the meat is tender and the gravy is thickened.
4) Remove the stewed pork belly from wok, cut into slices and serve with gravy.