It’s not often that I cooked pork belly, because it’s kind of too fattening for my liking. But once in a blue moon, when I decide to be ultra sinful for the day, I will go all way out ! And poultry such as pork belly is particularly succulent when they are braised. Other than the long braising time to allow the pork belly to turn tender, this dish is quite straightforward and fuss-free.
And I realised some distinct “trademarks” in braised dishes recently. The use of rock sugar and sweet soya sauce not only make the dish more appetising, the sweetness from the sauce is also much more fragrant as compared to just using normal fine sugar.
Braised pork belly and its sauce goes very well with plain white rice. In fact, this is a very well-liked dish by the typical hokkiens dialect especially the older generations. My dad, in particular, is very fond of this dish.
As a pure hokkien, I can say that most hokkien dishes are generally sinfully delicious in nature. Pork bellies and pork fats are a common sight in hokkien cooking. But it’s also the “fats” that bring out the real aroma and flavours of the fare. Love-hate relationship as it may seem, but eventually at the end of the day, you will just heck care and devour them all because they are simply irresistible after the first mouthful.
Grab some fresh pork bellies from PurelyFresh online for this Hokkien’s favourite today !
- 350g pork belly
- 5 slices ginger
- 3 cloves whole garlic, slightly crushed
- 5 stalks spring onion, cut into sections
- 35g rock sugar
- 1 tbsp light soya sauce
- 1½ tbsp dark soya sauce
- 1 tbsp huatiao wine
- 1½ tbsp sweet soya sauce (kecap manis - I used ABC brand)
- enough water to cover the pork belly
Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for approximately 5 minutes till all has turned from pinkish to white in colour. Cut the pork bellies into cubes around 5cm.
In a stew pot, lay the base of the pot with spring onions and topped with the sliced ginger and crushed garlics.
Place the blanched pork bellies on top, with the skin side down.
Add in all the sauces together with enough water such that it covers the pork bellies totally.
Cook on medium heat till it boils.
Cover the pot with a cover but leaving a slight gap to prevent over flowing when the sauce continues to boil. Add more water to continue simmering if the water starts to dry up before the simmering time is up. Halfway in between, turn the pork bellies over to allow even browning.
When the pork bellies has turned tender, remove and serve with some of the sauce. Garnish as desired.
#afcfansub
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