The Story Behind the Dish
Food has a unique way of bringing families together. I was never a cook before marriage. But with a picky – eating daughter and a wife whose cooking was, well, less than satisfactory, my love for food drove me to the kitchen. And there, I discovered a passion for cooking. This braised pork belly with potatoes is one of my signature dishes, loved by my family. It has even turned my daughter into a big rice – eater, and my wife has gained some healthy weight under my culinary care.
Gathering the Ingredients for a Feast
To create this delicious masterpiece, we need 1.5 jin of pork belly with the skin on, one potato cut into chunks, six pieces of rock sugar, an appropriate amount of scallions, ginger, and garlic, two star anises, two bay leaves, a small piece of cinnamon, one small spoon of dark soy sauce (the kind used for children’s meals), and two small spoons of light soy sauce.
The Art of Preparation
Preparing the Aromatics
Assembling the Flavor Base: Gather the scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon. These ingredients will form the aromatic foundation of our dish.
The Right Amount of Sugar: Take six pieces of rock sugar. (This amount is for 1.5 jin of pork. Adjust the quantity according to the amount of pork you are using.)
Treating the Pork Belly
Initial Preparation: Take the pork belly with the skin on. Put it in cold water with three slices of ginger and an appropriate amount of cooking wine. Bring it to a boil, then rinse it with cold water, drain it, and dry it thoroughly. Next, in a dry pan, put the pork belly in and fry it until the fat is rendered out. Then take it out and set it aside. This step is crucial as skipping it can make the dish overly greasy.
The Magic of Caramelization
Creating the Rich Color: Put some oil in the pan. When the oil is still cold, add the six pieces of rock sugar. Stir over low heat until it turns a deep red – brown color, like a ripe date.
Combining the Ingredients
Coating the Pork: Once the sugar has reached the right color, add the pork belly and stir – fry to coat it evenly. Then, add the prepared scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon. After a few stir – frys, pour in the dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Stir – fry until the pork is well – coated.
The Key to Tenderness
Adding the Boiling Water: (Remember, boiling water is of utmost importance. Say it three times: boiling water, boiling water, boiling water.) After stir – frying with the soy sauces, pour in an appropriate amount of boiling water. Bring it to a rolling boil over high heat, then cover the pot and simmer over medium – low heat for 40 minutes. Since the cooking time is long, add more boiling water. Keep an eye on the water level during the cooking process and add boiling water if it gets low. (Boiling water is the key to making the pork tender. Using cold water will make the pork slightly tough.)
The Final Touches
Seasoning and Adding Potatoes: After 40 minutes of simmering, use chopsticks to remove the bay leaves, cinnamon, and star anise. Add an appropriate amount of salt and MSG. Then, add the potato chunks. Add some more boiling water, cover the pot, and continue to simmer over medium – low heat for another 10 minutes.
The Grand Finale: After 10 minutes of cooking with the potatoes, the dish is ready to be served. It goes perfectly with a big bowl of rice, as my daughter can attest. If you like it, don’t forget to give it a thumbs – up and save the recipe for future enjoyment.