Description
A representative Hakka dish making you eat endless rice, where pork belly blocks are steamed for hours in soy sauce with Mei Gan Cai (fermented dried mustard greens).
Restaurants serving Hakka Braised Pork with Preserved Greens
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Pork belly(skin-on)
- Mei Gan Cai(Dried fermented mustard greens)
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Star anise
- Garlic
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Pork Prep] Boil skin-on pork belly block whole to remove scum. Brush skin with soy sauce, fry (or sear) briefly in oil until golden for savoriness.
- Slice pork ~1cm thick.
- [Mei Cai Prep] Rehydrate Hakka specialty 'Mei Gan Cai (salted, fermented, dried mustard greens)', chop finely, fragrantly sauté with garlic.
- [Steaming (Kou)] Line the inside of a round bowl radially and neatly with sliced pork, skin-side down.
- Pack the sautéed Mei Cai tightly over the meat without gaps.
- Pour a sauce of soy, wine, sugar, and star anise.
- Steam in a steamer for 2+ hrs until meat is gooey.
- Upon serving, cover the bowl with a flat plate and flip instantly (Kou). A beautiful dome of pork appears.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Deep fermented aroma of Mei Gan Cai and Star anise
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese Takana-zuke or Nozawana (sub for Mei Cai)
Pairing
White Rice or Gua Bao(Taiwanese burger buns)
Trivia
[For Everyone] The absolute ace representing Hakka cuisine. 'Kou' refers to the action of flipping the bowl onto a plate. The unique 'fermented acidity and umami' of Mei Gan Cai perfectly neutralizes the pork fat; a perfected braised pork eaten more infinitely and lightly than Dongpo Rou.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Place the gooey pork and pitch-black 'Mei Gan Cai'—which has absorbed meat fat to the limit—over rice, mixing with the sauce to shovel it down!
Allergen
Pork, Soy, Wheat (from soy sauce)