Cantonese red-braised pork belly with red fermented bean curd and black tea
Chinese cuisine › Cantonese · Souped Up Recipes · ♥ 2.4K likes · 110.1K views · 9 min video
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Read about pork belly in the BrightCulinary Book
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Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 15 g garlic
- 38 g ginger
- 60 g scallions
- 0.8 g star anise
- 2½ g cinnamon stick
- 2 lb skin on pork belly
Cut the pork belly into 1.5 inch cubes.
- water
Put the pork in a big stock pot filled with water and bring to a boil over medium heat to blanch and remove the foamy scum.
Take the pork out and drain it completely so the oil does not splatter when stir frying.
Choosing red fermented bean curd for the sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 pieces red fermented bean curd
Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, two pieces of red fermented bean curd and about 1 tbsp of its jar juice; smash the bean curd and mix well. Set aside.
- 1 tbsp juice from the fermented bean curd jar
Stir the pork in a wok over medium heat a few minutes until about 1-2 tbsp of fat has rendered; do not render more or the lean layer dries out and turns stringy.
Remove the pork, leaving the oil; clean off any residue so it does not burn.
- 6 tbsp sugar
Add 6 tbsp sugar and stir over low heat to caramelize; over-caramelized is bitter, under-caramelized leaves the pork too sweet.
When the sugar bubbles, add garlic, ginger, scallions, star anise and cinnamon stick and stir 30 seconds.
Return the pork and mix; pour a third cup of Chinese cooking wine down the side of the wok and stir to evaporate the alcohol. Add the sauce and stir until combined.
Adding wine and sauce, into the clay pot
- ⅓ cup Chinese cooking wine
- 2–3 cup water
Transfer to a clay pot (or a stock pot or Dutch oven); rinse the wok with 2-3 cups of water and add it to the pot.
Arrange the pork skin side down for the red color.
Simmer on low 1.5 hours or until tender, checking the liquid now and then and adding hot water if it runs dry.
If the sauce is thin, reduce over high heat, stirring constantly and gently; collagen-rich sauce bubbles and looks like more than it is, so do not over-reduce.