Babi Hong (Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens)

Ingredients

• 1 kg Pork belly (samcan) (whole piece, cleaned and pre-boiled)
• Ginger (sliced for boiling and extra for stir-frying)
• Star anise (for boiling and extra for seasoning)
• 2 Garlic (cloves, smashed for boiling)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (for boiling; plus extra for the sauce)
• 180 g Dried preserved mustard greens (mei cai) (soaked for 6 hours, rinsed 4-5 times, squeezed dry, and finely sliced)
• 1 tbsp Dried shrimp (ebi) (soaked in hot water)
• 5 Garlic (cloves, minced)
• 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 4 tbsp Light soy sauce (divided (3-4 tbsp for sauce, plus extra for coating pork))
• 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce (divided (for sauce and coating pork))
• White pepper (to taste)
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• Five-spice powder (to taste)
• 200 ml Pork broth
• Cooking oil (for frying pork and sautéing)

Steps

1. 1

   Clean 1 kg of whole pork belly. Place in a pot, bring to a boil, then discard the water and rinse the pork clean.

2. 2

   Return the pork to the pot with fresh water, sliced ginger, star anise, smashed garlic, and 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Remove the pork belly from the liquid and pat the skin dry with paper towels. Prick the surface of the skin all over with a fork or sharp tool.

4. 4

   Heat oil in a pan. Fry the pork belly with the skin side facing down first, then fry all other sides until browned. Cover the pan while frying as the skin may splatter. Remove the pork and set aside, discarding the excess oil.

5. 5

   In the same pan (or a clean one), coat the fried pork belly with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a little water. Turn on the heat and flip the pork to ensure it is evenly coated in the sauce. Remove and let it cool slightly.

6. 6

   Once cool enough to handle, slice the pork belly into thick pieces. Arrange the slices in a heat-proof steaming bowl with the skin side facing down.

7. 7

   Heat a little oil in a wok or pan. Sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the soaked dried shrimp and stir-fry.

8. 8

   Add the sliced preserved mustard greens to the pan and stir-fry well.

9. 9

   Season the vegetables with Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper, ginger, star anise, and five-spice powder. Pour in 200 ml of pork broth and cook briefly until the flavors are absorbed.

10. 10

    Spread the vegetable mixture over the pork belly in the bowl, pressing down firmly to pack it in.

11. 11

    Steam the bowl for at least 1.5 hours until the pork is very tender.

12. 12

    Carefully pour the excess liquid from the bowl into a separate container. Place a serving plate over the bowl and carefully flip it over so the pork is on top with the skin side up. Pour the reserved sauce back over the dish and serve.

Notes

The preserved mustard greens must be soaked for at least 6 hours and rinsed thoroughly (4-5 times) to remove excess salt and grit. The weight of the greens will double after soaking.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• pork
• Chinese
• steamed
• holiday
• slow-cooked