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How to Make Mei Cai Kou Rou

Mei Cai Kou Rou is elegantly presented, with a rich, glossy reddish-brown color and a thick, savory sauce. The pork is tender and flavorful, without being greasy.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Pork belly
  • Preserved mustard greens (Mei Cai)
  • Five-spice powder
  • Cooking oil
  • White sugar
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Light soy sauce
  • Millet peppers
  • Minced garlic
  • Table salt
  • Chicken bouillon powder

Measurements

Per serving:

  • Pork belly: 200 g
  • Preserved mustard greens: 30 g
  • Five-spice powder: 2 g
  • Cooking oil: 300 ml
  • White sugar: 5 g
  • Dark soy sauce: 30 ml
  • Light soy sauce: 20 ml
  • Millet pepper: 1
  • Minced garlic: 10 g
  • Table salt: 2 g
  • Chicken bouillon powder: 2 g

Instructions

  • Soak the preserved mustard greens in clean water for 1 hour.
  • Heat 50 ml of cooking oil in a pan. Place the whole pork belly skin-side down into the pan for 1 minute, then remove it. [Optional]
  • Add boiling water to the pan, place the pork belly inside, and boil on high heat for 20 minutes (until a chopstick can easily pierce the meat). Remove the pork belly.
  • Evenly coat the surface of the pork belly with dark soy sauce, five-spice powder, and white sugar. Let it marinate for 15 minutes.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add the pork belly, and deep-fry over medium heat until both sides are golden brown (3-5 minutes).
  • Heat oil in a clean pan, add the preserved mustard greens, followed by millet peppers, minced garlic, chicken bouillon powder, and table salt. Stir-fry until the moisture in the greens has evaporated.
  • Slice the pork belly (0.5-1 cm thick), place it in a large bowl, and sprinkle the dried mustard greens on top.
  • Steam over medium heat for 45 minutes.
  • Place a plate upside down over the large bowl containing the pork belly, and invert the bowl to transfer the pork belly onto the plate.

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Additional Notes

  • I discovered that crispy-skinned pork belly is incredibly delicious during the preparation process!
  • If you prefer less sweetness, you can omit the white sugar without affecting the main process.
  • The duration of the second-to-last step can be adjusted according to personal preference.
  • Stir-frying the dried mustard greens until dry helps them absorb oil later on (my guess).

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.