Braised Pork Belly with Dried Bamboo Shoots
Once I bought some fresh bamboo shoots online. When they arrived, I realized I couldn’t possibly consume so many. What to do? 🧐 The solution I came up with was to clean the bamboo shoots, cut them into small strips, string them together with thread, and sun-dry them. Since it was my first time drying them, I didn't know how long it would take. It wasn’t until the bamboo shoots shriveled into thin, dry strips that I finally took them down and put them in the kitchen. They just sat there without any container, in such a state that anyone who saw them would advise me to throw them away. Thankfully, stubborn as I am, we now have this delicious and super rice-friendly dish of braised pork belly with dried bamboo shoots. The friend who once suggested I throw them away asked me one thing when they tasted the dish for the first time: 'Do you have any more dried bamboo shoots left? 🙄️'
Ingredients
Steps
Sun-dried bamboo shoots
When fresh bamboo shoots are out of season or for convenience, you can directly use dried bamboo shoots
This is what the soaked dried bamboo shoots look like. I soaked them in clean water for about half a day, changing the water several times during the process.
Cut pork belly with skin into mahjong-sized cubes. Put them into a pot of cold water, add some cooking wine, two slices of ginger, and a section of scallion to remove the gaminess. Once the water boils, cook for a few more minutes, then take the meat out, rinse it clean, and drain for later use.
While boiling the meat, prepare the spices, rock sugar, and ginger slices.
Heat a pan and add a little oil—just a bit, as the pork belly will release a lot of oil. Sear the meat on medium heat until both sides are slightly golden. (Avoid using high heat; the meat will tighten up too much and won't stew easily.)
Add star anise, rock sugar, ginger slices, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and cooking wine. Stir-fry until the meat is coated in color, then keep stir-frying for a few more minutes.
Add the soaked bamboo shoots and stir-fry evenly.
Add boiling water to cover the meat. Add dried hawthorn slices, which will help make the meat more tender. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes. During this time, avoid lifting the lid.
Through the lid, observe when the bamboo shoots have absorbed enough flavor. Then, uncover and reduce the sauce over high heat, but don’t dry it out completely as the sauce is amazing with rice. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Dish out and serve.