Suzhou big meat noodles

Scrape any hair off the pork belly and soak it in cool water at least an hour to draw out myoglobin.

Put the belly skin side down in the largest stockpot with a few extra pork bones if it is boneless.

Add the water, Shaoxing wine, salt, star anise, half cinnamon stick, fennel seed, Sichuan peppercorn, crushed ginger and knotted scallion.

Bring to a boil, skim if gunky, drop to the lowest flame and simmer four hours.

Shut off the heat and let it come to room temperature, covered, overnight.

Lift the pork out, pat it completely dry, wrap it and chill at least four hours or overnight.

Strain the poaching liquid and chill it as well.

Trim the ugly bits off the pork and cut it into two centimetre strips.

Scoop the set lard off the top of the chilled poaching liquid and reserve it for the seasoned oil.

Blanch the fish and duck pieces in bubbling water with a splash of Shaoxing wine about three minutes, then rinse under running water.

Put them in a pot with smashed ginger, knotted scallions, two tablespoons of Shaoxing wine and two litres of the reserved pork poaching liquid.

Bring to a boil then hold at the lowest possible simmer three hours so the fish does not cloud the soup.

Skim the oil off the top, remove the duck and fish, and strain the soup.

Fry the reserved lard with sliced ginger and cut scallion over low heat about ten minutes to drive off stray liquid, then raise to medium and fry about ten minutes more until the scallion is golden brown.

Remove the aromatics and scoop out the seasoned oil.

For the jiunianglu, rinse 500 g glutinous rice until the water runs clear, strain, put it in a steamer and punch holes in it.

Steam fifteen minutes, swirl in another half cup of water, steam fifteen more, repeat, then steam a final fifteen.

Flip the rice out and cool it to thirty degrees centigrade.

Mix 2 g Rhizopus with 150 g bottled water, spoon it over the rice, mix thoroughly, press gently, poke a hole in the centre, cover and ferment 36 hours at 30C.

Take out 100 g of the fermented rice, mix with 100 g bottled water, cover and ferment again 24 hours at 25 to 30C.

Boil 100 g of the dried noodles per the package, rinsing the serving bowl with the boiling water so it is very hot.

Bring 300 g duckfish soup and 50 g pork poaching liquid to a rapid boil.

Put the sugar, salt, an optional sprinkle of MSG and a tablespoon of the ginger scallion lard in the bowl, add the noodles and pour the soup over.

Add two tablespoons of the fermented rice water, sprinkle over chopped scallion and serve with the slab of pork and julienned ginger.