Amazing Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens
Preface 0: Soak the preserved mustard greens in warm water for half an hour. 1: Pan-fry the pork belly without blanching it first—it gives a richer flavor. 2: Adding fermented bean curd juice (red variety) is the secret ingredient. 3: Always use hot water when adding water. Note: Preserved mustard greens are naturally salty, and fermented bean curd juice is also very salty. So, only add a small spoon of salt right before serving. Taste throughout the process as personal preferences vary. Remember to taste before adding salt and after adding rock sugar to avoid it being too salty or too sweet.
Ingredients
Steps
Soak the preserved mustard greens in warm water for half an hour, then wash twice and squeeze out excess water. Dry-fry in a pan over medium heat until the moisture evaporates, then set aside.
Leave the green onions unchopped, mince the garlic, slice the ginger, cut the pork belly into 3cm chunks, and break the dried chilies to remove the seeds. Prepare these ingredients and set aside.
Heat a pan with half a bowl of oil. Once hot, add the pork belly chunks and pan-fry until the fatty part turns golden and slightly crispy (don’t worry if there's a lot of oil—preserved mustard greens absorb it well).
Add green onions, ginger, garlic, star anise, and dried chilies to release their fragrance. Stir, then add cooking wine, soy sauce (a bit more is fine), and rock sugar. Stir-fry briefly, then add the preserved mustard greens and mix thoroughly. Pour in hot water until it covers the preserved mustard greens and pork, bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Add dark soy sauce for color and fermented bean curd juice. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
Taste during the process. If the saltiness is insufficient, add a small spoon of salt. Once the flavor is balanced, reduce the sauce and turn off the heat to plate and serve.
For those in southern regions who might not know what fermented bean curd is, here’s a picture. Any brand works—‘Wang Zhihe’ and ‘Zhu Lao Liu’ are good options (northerners might prefer Zhu Lao Liu).