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How to Make Fen Zheng Rou

Fen Zheng Rou is a classic Chinese steamed dish, known for its rich aroma, soft and sticky texture, and nutritional value. It is suitable for family gatherings or holiday banquets. This dish is best prepared by those with some cooking experience and takes approximately 90 minutes from preparation to completion.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Pork belly 500g (with alternating layers of fat and lean meat)
  • Steamed pork rice flour 100g (Lee Kum Kee or homemade recommended)
  • Light soy sauce 15ml
  • Dark soy sauce 10ml
  • Cooking wine 15ml
  • Pixian broad bean paste 10g (optional)
  • Minced ginger 10g
  • Minced garlic 10g
  • White sugar 5g
  • Potato 300g (or pumpkin 300g, as a base layer)
  • Water (for steaming) 2000ml

Calculation

Before each preparation, determine how many servings you wish to make. One serving is sufficient for 3 people.

Per serving:

  • Pork belly 250g
  • Steamed pork rice flour 50g
  • Light soy sauce 7.5ml
  • Dark soy sauce 5ml
  • Cooking wine 7.5ml
  • Pixian broad bean paste 5g (optional)
  • Minced ginger 5g
  • Minced garlic 5g
  • White sugar 2.5g
  • Potato or pumpkin 150g
  • Water for steaming 1000ml

Instructions

  • Wash the pork belly and slice it into pieces approximately 5cm long, 3cm wide, and 0.5cm thick.
  • Mince the ginger and garlic into fine pieces with a particle diameter not exceeding 1mm.
  • In a large bowl, combine the sliced pork belly, 15ml light soy sauce, 10ml dark soy sauce, 15ml cooking wine, 10g Pixian broad bean paste, 10g minced ginger, 10g minced garlic, and 5g white sugar.
  • Stir well with chopsticks, cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate at room temperature (20°C - 25°C) for 30 minutes.
  • After marinating, add 100g of steamed pork rice flour and mix thoroughly for 2 minutes to ensure each piece of meat is evenly coated.
  • Peel the potato and slice it to a thickness of 0.8cm, with each slice approximately 5cm x 5cm in area, totaling 300g.
  • Line the bottom of a deep bowl with a diameter of 20cm with the potato slices, arranging them with minimal overlap.
  • Spread the coated pork belly evenly over the potato slices and press down firmly.
  • Add 2000ml of water to the steamer and heat until the water is continuously bubbling (100°C).
  • Place the bowl containing the ingredients into the steamer and cover with the lid.
  • Steam over medium heat for 60 minutes (maintaining a sustained boiling state, approximately 600W power).
  • After the time is up, insert a chopstick into the center of the meat. If it penetrates easily with no significant resistance, the dish is cooked.
  • If this condition is not met, continue heating for 10-15 minutes until the meat is tender and fat has rendered out.
  • Remove from the steamer and serve.

Additional Content

  • To make homemade rice noodles, place 150g of rice in a pot and stir-fry over medium-low heat until slightly yellow (about 8 minutes). Then add 1g of dried chili, 1g of Sichuan peppercorns, and 0.5g of star anise. Stir-fry until fragrant, grind with a food processor, and sift for later use.
  • During steaming, if the water level drops below 1cm above the bottom of the pot, immediately add 500ml of hot water (above 90°C) to maintain sufficient steam.

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