Grilled Cuttlefish/ Braised Pork with Squid and Eggs (No Oil)
[The whole squid is cooked together and sliced at the table, presenting an incredibly impressive dish] This dish is a must-have specialty of a Shanghai grandmother. Since I will become a grandmother in the future, I must perfect this dish 🤓. Actually, I am just a bit homesick for my old grandmother in Shanghai… 🐽 No oil used. 🐽 No dark soy sauce (too red makes it overly savory). 🐽 No caramelizing sugar (not necessary, as the dish comes out vibrant enough, use brown sugar, molasses, or dark sugar instead of white). 🐽 1/2 cup light soy sauce + 1/4 cup brown sugar creates a bright and glossy braised pork. 🐽 During my summer trip back to Shanghai, I tried braised pork at various Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Huaiyang cuisine restaurants, but none met the mark. This dish, using authentic Berkshire pork + whole-head large squid + cast-iron pot, would probably cost at least 888 RMB to produce commercially. ⚠️ I used Japanese Yamasa low-sodium soy sauce. A few days ago, I made this dish at a friend's house and forgot to bring the soy sauce, so I used their Lee Kum Kee brand (not low-sodium). It was slightly salty but not excessively so. If not using low-sodium soy sauce, reduce the quantity slightly. Note that different brands of soy sauce will affect the final dish's color.
Ingredients
Steps
Thaw 2lbs of pork belly and 1 large squid.
Cut the pork belly into chunks. Trim off particularly fatty parts to render lard later. Clean the squid, separate head and body, blanch the whole squid in boiling water for about 2 minutes, and set aside.
Use a cast iron pot. Heat over medium, render the trimmed fat to coat the pot in lard. Then, sear the pork belly chunks until both sides are golden brown. ⚠ Turn the heat up slightly (for induction stove) ⚠ Dry the pork with paper towels ⚠ No pre-blanching of pork—good quality meat is crucial ⚠ Cast iron locks in juices like when cooking steak.
Be patient and continue frying. Meanwhile, boil water in a kettle, ensuring it's boiling hot.
When done frying, add hot water ♨️ (just enough to barely cover the pork).
Add the squid, eggs (if not ready, delay adding eggs), 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sugar, ginger, 1/4 cup yellow wine, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 60 minutes over low heat (use level 3-4 on induction stove). ⚠ Taste to confirm flavor (traditional Shanghai style). Adjust soy sauce quantity if not using low-sodium.
Check occasionally to ensure everything is evenly cooked, turning the squid and eggs as needed.
When the time is up, the dish is ready. Watch closely as cooking times may vary. For induction stoves, 400ml of water and 60 minutes on low work perfectly for me. If liquids seem excessive, increase the heat to reduce, but beware of oil content at the bottom, which may burn.
I used a Tajine pot this time—perfect for small servings and presentable for direct serving at the table. No guests, just personal enjoyment with aesthetic appeal.
The squid slices turned out stunningly beautiful.
You can slice the squid directly in the pot.
Today I added pork tails to the pork belly, simmering for 90 minutes for tender tails. Perfect results 😋 Leadership complained there wasn’t enough meat.
Spontaneous dinner with three dishes and one soup👌🏻 The braised squid and pork disappeared instantly. A great success!