Hello everyone, this is Wang Gang
In this video, I'll share the recipe of a New Year’s Dish
“Xian Shao Bai” aka “Meicai Kourou” (Steamed pork belly with preserved vegetables)
First, heat up the wok
Put the pork belly in the wok with the skin side down
Use low to medium fire to sear the pork belly skin until it turns golden brown
so that the remaining hair and smell are removed
After that, move the pork belly into a bowl
Use warm water to clean up the skin
Warm water prevents the pig fat from sticking in the hands (in the winter)
After that, add a moderate amount of water into the wok
Add the cleaned pork belly into the cold water directly
Add a moderate amount of Chinese cooking wine
a few slices of raw ginger
a few Sichuan green peppercorns
and a few green onions tied into a knot
Use high fire to boil, and then use low fire to cook for another 30 minutes
so that the pork belly is cooked through with its shape fixed
Next, prepare the side ingredients
Prepare 400g “Ya Cai” Sichuan preserved mustard greens. Wash it in a bowl for later use.
Since Ya Cai is preserved food, it’s better to wash it for a few more times
to remove the excessive salt and dirt
Shred the cleaned up Ya Cai and put it in a bowl for later use
The shreds can be finer for better flavor
Set aside 20g raw ginger mince in a bowl
Set aside 20g garlic mince
Add 3g Sichuan green peppercorns into the same bowl with ginger and garlic mince
Add 10g dried “Chaotianjiao” chili peppers
Add 2 star anises
After 30 minutes of cooking, move the pork belly into a bowl
While the pork is warm, rub some light soy sauce evenly against the skin
so that the skin is colored
Finally, rub 40g salt evenly against the skin
to avoid splashing hot oil when frying the pork
Next, process the pork
First, heat up the wok
Add a moderate amount of vegetable oil into the heated wok
Use high fire to heat the oil to 70% heated (~210C)
After that, fry the pork belly for 1 minute with the skin side down
Fry until the skin turns golden brown
While frying, keep moving the pork belly to avoid burning the skin due to sticking
Take out the pork belly when it turns golden brown
Soak the pork belly in the original broth for 10 minutes
Soaking makes tiger texture on the pork skin
which gives the dish a better presence
Take out the pork belly after 10 minutes of soaking
Cut it into 4mm slices while it’s warm
The slices can be thinner, as thin slices reduce the steaming time
Put the pork belly slices in a bowl. Next, add seasonings
Add some salt into the bowl
Add a spoon of chicken flavoring
Add two spoons of white sugar
as white sugar enhances the umami taste and reduces the oily taste
Add a moderate amount of Chinese cooking wine
or for an alternative, you may use a small amount of baijiu liquor
Add 10g dark soy sauce for coloring
Add 30g light soy sauce for the salty and umami taste
Add a moderate amount of “Tang Se” Chinese style caramel syrup for a red and shiny presence
Mix up everything for later use
Next, move the slices into the final bowls
First, put two slices at opposite sides of a bowl, with the skin facing down
After that, put the remaining pork belly in between slice by slice
Finally, pour the remaining sauce into the bowl
Next, cook the Ya Cai
First, heat up the wok
Add the processed Ya Cai into the hot wok
Stir fry with medium fire to make the Ya Cai dry
Only dried Ya Cai can release more aroma in later cooking
Take out and set aside the dried Ya Cai
Heat up the wok again, and add in some Di You (literally “bottom oil”)
When the oil is 50 heated (~150C), add in the set-aside ginger and garlic mince, dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns
Stir fry with low to medium fire until the aroma is released
Then add in the Ya Cai and stir fry for 2 minutes
so that the Ya Cai also turns aromatic
Next, add seasonings
Add 2g chicken flavoring into the wok
Add a little salt
Add 1g white sugar
Add a little soy sauce by pouring at the outer part of the wok
Then stir fry with low fire to mix up all the seasonings
After that, stack the Ya Cai over the pork
Move the bowls into a steam pot. Start with use high fire to steam for 20 minutes
and then change to low fire to steam for another 60 minutes
and finish by adding some chopped green onion
Now, a very delicious dish of Xian Shao Bai is done
Technical summary of Xian Shao Bai: 1. Before cooking, the pork belly skin must be seamed in the wok or with a blow torch to remove the smell. 2. Before frying, the pork belly must be rubbed with salt to avoid hot oil splashing. 3. Ya Cai must be washed for 5 or more times to remove excessive salt and dirt completely. 4. Fried pork belly must be soaked in the original broth for 10 minutes to develop tiger texture on the skin for a better presence. That’s all for the technical summary of Xian Shao Bai.
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