cantonese pork belly 梅菜扣肉

This is a very rustic, comforting and hearty Cantonese dish. Serve family style with rice and other dishes for a complete meal.

梅菜扣肉 (mui choy kow yuk)

serves 4-6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

1 segment preserved mustard greens (梅菜 mui choy)
1/2 head of garlic

2.5 to 3 lbs pork belly

2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp avocado oil

METHOD:
1. Prepare Aromatics - in a bowl, rinse preserved mustard greens in several changes of water, making sure you remove all sand and grit. Cover with a fresh change of water and soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and crush your garlic cloves with the side of your knife. When the mustard greens are finished soaking, drain and then roughly chop. You can discard some of the dark leaves. Set aside with smashed garlic.

2. Heatproof Dish - Slice the pork belly into sections so that it can fit into a deep heatproof dish. The pork belly will be steamed in here so the dish needs to be able to fit in your wok or steamer pot. Set aside heatproof dish.

3. Parboil Meat & Marinate - place the pork belly into a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil and to remove impurities and scum, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully remove the pork belly pieces and transfer to the heatproof dish. Combine brown sugar, both soy sauces, and rub over pork belly pieces. Cover and chill in fridge, marinate for 4 hours or overnight.

4. Ready Your Steamer - once the meat has finished marinating, ready your steamer pot/wok with enough water for steaming. Remove your pork belly dish from the fridge and pour out any excess liquid. Set aside.  

5. Brown Meat - in a large nonstick pan, heat avocado oil on medium high and brown the pork belly pieces for 3-5 minutes on each side. Place the browned meat back in the heatproof dish with the skin side facing upwards. Remove any excess oil from the pan and then add garlic and preserved mustard greens. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and spread the mixture on top of the pork belly.

6. Steam Meat - place your pork belly dish in your steamer pot/wok and bring to a rolling boil. Lower heat and continue to steam for 1-2 hours until tender. Check every hour to make sure you have enough water in your pot. Serve hot with steamed rice.

7. Do Ahead - this dish can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. After steaming, let the dish cool down for an hour. Cover and then store in the fridge. When ready to reheat, remove the cover and any fat from the sauce. Steam for 20 minutes or until hot before serving.

ferment at home

Homemade Sauerkraut

recipe adapted from TheKitchn, Nourished Kitchen and Stone Soup

makes about 2-3 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium green cabbage

1.5 tbsp kosher salt

METHOD:

1. Ensure you have a dry sanitized 1 litre or larger mason/pickling jar. Either wash in your dishwasher or rinse with boiling water before using.

2. Gently rinse whole cabbage under cold running water. Remove any wilted outer leaves, but set aside 1 piece for use later.

3. Cut cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Slice each into long thin shreds and place in a large mixing bowl.

4. Sprinkle kosher salt on cabbage and massage for 10 minutes. Cabbage will release its juices and the volume will be cut in half.

5. Pack the cabbage into the glass jar, pushing down as tightly as you can so that any released liquid rises to the top. Pour in remaining liquid from the mixing bowl.

6. Place 1 outer cabbage leaf on top of the shredded cabbage. This will help keep cabbage bits submerged in the liquid. Place a smaller glass ramekin or jar on top to help weight down the shredded cabbage.

7. Seal your jar and store away from direct sunlight at room temperature, 18-23C (65-75F).

8. After 24 hours, "burp" your jar by opening the lid to release any gas build up. Skim away any scum or white mold. Seal your jar and return to storage.

9. After 48 hours, repeat and give it a try to see if the sauerkraut is tangy enough. If not, continue to ferment until the taste is as desired. Once you're happy with it, move the jar to the fridge where your sauerkraut will keep for the next 6 months.