Ingredients: Pork Belly, Water, Ginger, Chinese Cooking Wine, Sichuan Peppercorns · 180 min cook time · 1485kcal · ~₩21,900
Ingredients
900g Pork Belly, 2.5l Water, 4slices Ginger, 3tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine, 1tsp Sichuan Peppercorns, 1tsp Dark Soy Sauce, 0.33cup Vegetable Oil, 4slices Sand Ginger, 2cloves Cloves, 1stick Cinnamon Stick, 0.5cardamom Black Cardamom, 1star anise Star Anise, 3leaves Bay Leaves, 3chilies Hot Dried Chilies, 2tsp Sichuan Peppercorns, 0.25tsp Fennel Seeds, 2scallions Scallions, 5slices Ginger, 4cloves Garlic, 0.5cup Soy Sauce, 0.5cup Chinese Cooking Wine, 2.5tsp Dark Soy Sauce, 1tbsp Sugar, 2liters Water, 1tsp Salt, 400g Rice Noodles, 1.5tsp Salt, 1bunch Baby Bok Choy, 1pack Pickled Yard Beans, 1tbsp Diced Scallion
Instructions
1. Fill a pot with 2.5 liters (10 cups) of water. Add the pork belly, 4 slices of ginger, 3 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine, and 1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Then switch the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
2. When it's done, take it out. Quickly use a fork to poke as many holes on the skin as possible. There will be some fat leaking out, just use a paper towel to wipe it. Apply some dark soy sauce on the surface. This is for the color. The reason I say to poke holes quickly is because you want to apply the dark soy sauce while the pork is still hot. The color doesn't attach well when it's cold. Next, we have to dehydrate the skin. If you have a dehydrator, that would be the best. If not, you can use a mini fan like this or a fan on the ceiling will also work. You just put the meat under it and let it blow for a few hours. If you don't have a fan, you can put the meat in the fridge with the skin exposed for 24 hours. The skin should feel like leather, very firm and a bit bouncy. Now we are ready for the next step.
3. Add 1/3 cup of vegetable oil to the wok and heat it to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the pork in, skin side down. Move it around for a few seconds to even it out. When you hear the oil starts sizzling, cover the lid immediately. Be very careful here because there is no effective way to prevent the oil from splashing. I have tried drying the pork for a longer time or frying it at a lower heat. Some people even suggest to put some salt in the wok. All these methods don't work. The only way to protect yourself is to cover the lid and wear gloves if you are scared. Flip to fry other sides. Keep the heat at medium-low at all times. Each side needs 1-2 minutes. This frying process is going to build up the flavor foundation as it creates so much Maillard reaction. You can also do this process in an air fryer. Okay, take it out. Let me show you how it should look. The skin should be a little bit bubbly and crispy. The bottom has a dark brown color that looks like it is burned, but it's not. It's just the color from the dark soy sauce. Let it cool a little bit and slice it into 2/3 of an inch thick slabs.
4. Add all the pork belly into a clay pot. Now you can gather some spices. 4 slices of dried Kaempferia galanga, also known as sand ginger, 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 of a black cardamom, 1 star anise, 3 bay leaves, 3 hot dried chilies, 2 teaspoons of Sichuan peppercorns, a 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seeds, 2 scallions (I tied them into a knot), 5 slices of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic. I know, it's hard to collect all the spices, so it is okay if you miss one or two. It will not affect the taste that much. I will also link these ingredients in the description. You can check them out later. Add the spice bag to the clay pot, along with 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of Chinese cooking wine (or Shaoxing wine), 2 1/2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pour in 2 liters of water. Bring this to a boil and taste to adjust the saltiness. I add 1 teaspoon of salt here. Including the salt I added before, I added 2.5 teaspoons of salt in total. Turn the heat to low, let it simmer for 2 hours.
5. Meanwhile, we can prepare the noodles. I'm using these thick rice noodles. It does come with a cooking instruction on the package, but I do find that a pre-soaking in hot water gives it the best texture. You just bring a pot of water to a boil. Turn off the heat. Drop the noodles in. If you don't have rice noodles, you can use any other types of noodles that you like and they may not require this pre-soaking. Just follow the cooking instructions on the package. They need to be soaked for about 20 minutes. You can give it a try. The center should be slightly chewy. If you soaked them 20 minutes right before the pork is ready, you can transfer the noodles directly into the clay pot and continue to cook. But if you are like me, soaking them way too early and the pork still got an hour to go, you have to transfer the noodles into the cold water, so they are not overdone.
6. The pork has been simmering for 2 hours now. Let's take a look. Oh, I can feel the tenderness. It is almost going to break apart because my chopsticks are pinching it. The skin now becomes wrinkly and spongy like this. That is a beautiful Kourou. Okay, let me taste the broth at this moment because I want to be accurate after the simmering. It should be much saltier than your normal taste because we still got lots of noodles and vegetables on the side. I add 1.5 teaspoons of salt here. Including the salt from before, I added 2.5 teaspoons of salt in total. Add the rice noodles, which I have drained completely. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Ah, I almost forgot to take out the spice bag. There it is. It has done its job. We don't need it anymore. Once it comes to a boil, don't cook it any longer, otherwise the noodles will start breaking down. Toss in some baby bok choy or any other leafy vegetables that you like. Let it blanch for 20-30 seconds. Dinner is ready!
7. Put the noodles in a big serving bowl. Scoop some of the braising broth as well. Top a couple pieces of that beautiful pork belly. We like to serve this with some spicy pickled long beans. I just bought this from the store, I didn't make it. You can also use Zha Cai. They do an amazing job at balancing the fattiness of the pork belly as well as providing a touch of fermented flavor. If you don't have it, you can use other kinds of pickles, such as Korean kimchi, sour radish, pickled cucumber, or jalapeno. Last but not least, sprinkle some diced scallion as a garnish. This looks amazing. I want to show you how tender the pork is. You can break it apart with a pair of chopsticks. Imagine that just melts in your mouth. The broth is very rich and flavorful. The deep frying really made a big difference. The smell and the taste are so different than any other braised pork belly that I have made before. I know I said that you can use any types of noodles, but rice noodles are so good. They have such a wonderful texture, so smooth and a little bit bouncy. We have a word called Suo Fen in Chinese. Suo is a verb that you take a little sip and the noodles will just slide into your mouth down to your belly because it's so slippery. It may not be the proper manner in your culture, but hey, who cares? It's so fun and delicious. I hope you give this a try soon. As always, you can click the link in the description and find a printable recipe. Don't forget to hit the like button and share the videos with your friends or family. That really encourages me to continue to make more delicious recipes.