Steamed Pork Belly 梅乾菜扣肉 (Mei Gan Cai Kou Rou) Recipe

Ingredients

5-6 oz dried preserved mustard greens 梅乾菜 (mei gan cai)

1  1/2 pounds pork belly

2 slices ginger

2 star anise

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons rock sugar

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2 tablespoons rice wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

The most time consuming part is cleaning the dried mustard greens, which you will need to soak for 5-6 hours and then wash and drain multiple times until the sand and dirt is gone.  (If you can't find the dried mustard greens or don't want to deal with the fuss, you can also replace with another leafy pickled vegetable, but be aware of salt level and tailor your sauces accordingly.)

Put the pork belly, ginger, and star anise in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for ~10 minutes to cleanse the pork.  When done, heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok and add the pork, skin side first until brown.  Turn and brown other sides.  Once browned, add a teaspoon of dark soy sauce and a tablespoon of water and coat the pork.  Turn off heat and let pork cool in the wok and sauce.  Remove pork from wok and cut into bites-sized pieces.  Place in a shallow bowl.

In the wok, add a tablespoon of oil and melt the sugar.  Add the minced ginger and cook for 30 seconds.  Then add the washed preserved vegetables and stir for a few minutes.  Add remaining dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rice wine, and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat.  Spoon vegetable mixture over sliced pork.

Put bowl in a steamer and steam for 1 hour.  When done, pour off any excess liquid into wok to make the sauce.  Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, and add a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken, as needed.

When ready to serve, place serving plate over bowl of pork and vegetables and flip it over onto the plate (so pork is on top).  Pour sauce over the dish.  Serve with rice.