Mei Gan Cai Kou Rou — Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens

Ingredients

• 700g skin-on pork belly, in one piece
• For simmering: 3 slices fresh ginger and 2 spring onions
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, for brushing
• Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying (about 150ml), plus 1 tbsp for the greens
• 200g preserved mustard greens (mei cai), well rinsed and soaked for 20 minutes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 star anise
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• Boiling water, for steaming
• To serve: steamed rice and a stir-fried green vegetable

Method

1. Put the pork in a pan with the ginger and spring onions, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 minutes. Lift out and drain well.

2. Prick the skin all over with a skewer. Pat the skin completely dry, then rub with the dark soy sauce and leave to air-dry for 15 minutes.

3. Heat the shallow-frying oil in a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Lay in the pork skin side down, cover with a splatter guard, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is dark and blistered. Take care as the oil will spit. Drain and cool for 15 minutes, then slice into pieces 7mm thick.

4. Squeeze the soaked mustard greens dry and chop finely. Heat the 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic for 15 seconds, then add the greens, sugar, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and star anise. Stir-fry for 3 minutes until fragrant, then remove the star anise.

5. Arrange the pork slices skin side down in a heatproof bowl, overlapping them. Lay the ginger slices on top, then pack the mustard greens over the pork, pressing firmly.

6. Set the bowl on a rack in a wok or large pan with a tight lid, over simmering water, and steam for 1 hour 45 minutes, topping up the boiling water as needed.

7. Pour off the juices into a small pan and boil for 3 minutes. Place a deep serving plate over the bowl and flip it over so the pork skin faces up on top of the greens. Pour over the juices and serve with steamed rice.