Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables（Mei Cai Kou Rou）
This melt-in-your-mouth Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables is made with flavorful mei gan cai (preserved mustard greens) and succulent pork belly, ranking high among Chinese home-cooked dishes. It is an ideal celebratory dish for Lunar New Year dinners or other special occasions. If you are Chinese, this dish will remind you of home; if you are like me, it will bring back memories of childhood days spent with grandma; if you are a foreigner, this dish will greatly satisfy your taste buds.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g pork belly
- 100g pickled mustard greens
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the purchased 500g pork belly and preserved mustard greens.
Tip:
Choose a whole piece of pork belly for easier cutting and better presentation.
Prepare the seasonings: 10g white sugar, 2 star anise, 2 pieces of cinnamon bark, 10ml dark soy sauce, 10ml cooking wine, 3 bay leaves, and 10ml light soy sauce.
Tip:
These seasonings are commonly found in Chinese supermarkets. If you don't have them at home, you can purchase them or use similar substitutes.
Prepare a pot and add the pork belly with cold water. Boil until a chopstick can be inserted easily.
Prepare a pot and add the pork belly with cold waterRemove the pork belly from the pot and set it aside to cool. Drain excess water.
Tip:
The purpose of this step is to air-dry the pork belly, preventing oil splatters during frying.. Boil until a chopstick can be inserted easily.
Heat 500ml of cooking oil in a pan and fry the pork belly, skin side down.
Fry until the pork skin turns golden brown and starts bubbling, then fry the other side.
Ensure the sides are also fried until golden brown, frying all four sides.
Fry the pork belly until both sides are golden brown, then place it on a rack to cool.
Cut the pork belly into large pieces, 4-5 cm long and 1 cm thick.
Prepare a bowl and neatly arrange the sliced pork belly with the skin side down.
Place 2 star anise, 2 pieces of cinnamon, and 3 bay leaves in the bowl.
Mix the remaining seasoning: 10ml dark soy sauce, 10ml cooking wine, 10ml light soy sauce, and 3g salt together until well blended, then pour into the bowl.
Soak 100g of preserved mustard greens with 10g of sugar in cold water for 5-6 hours, wash thoroughly and set aside. (This step is not included in the total cooking time.
Tips:
When soaking the preserved mustard greens, I add 10g of sugar to enhance the flavor.
Be sure to wash the preserved mustard greens thoroughly—I typically wash them 6-7 times to ensure they are clean.Place the prepared preserved mustard greens into the bowl.
Ensure the preserved mustard greens are level with the rim of the bowl.
Steam in a steamer for 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Remove from the steamer and invert onto a plate. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.