Sichuan Steamed Pork Belly With Yacai (Xianshaobai, 咸烧白)
The Mala MarketEquipment
- 3 toothpicks
Ingredients
- 1 large packet Yibin suimiyacai (preserved mustard stems) 230 grams, approx. 8 ounces
- 450 grams skin-on boneless pork belly approx. 1 pound
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, washed and thickly sliced, divided
- 1 fresh scallion, washed and smashed
- 1 teaspoon whole red huajiao (Sichuan pepper)
- splash yellow rice cooking wine (liaojiu)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (Zhongba preferred), divided
- 3 tablespoons caiziyou (Chinese roasted rapeseed oil) more as needed to coat pan
- 1 tablespoon Pixian douchi (fermented black soybean)
- 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
- 1 teaspoon white sugar, divided
- splash baijiu optional
- 1 paojiao (pickled red chili), chopped optional
- 450 grams baby bokchoy, washed and drained approx. 1 pound
Instructions
- Rinse yacai 2-3 times until water runs mostly clear and drain.
- In a hot wok or skillet, dry-sear the skin side of the pork belly until it darkens and bubbles up. Use chopsticks or tongs to sweep the pork belly continuously around the wok as it sears to prevent sticking. Depan the meat and scrape off the burnt hair and dark surface with the edge of a large knife under lukewarm running water.
- Add cold water and rinsed pork belly to a large pot. Bring to a boil and then add half the ginger slices, scallion, whole huajiao and cooking wine. Simmer gently over low heat, covered, for 20-25 minutes. Check that the skin side is easily penetrable with a chopstick through to the middle. Cook only to 90% doneness, when meat is no longer pink but still exudes some bloody fluids when pressed into with the chopstick.If the meat is not adequately cooked at this step, the skin will also be undercooked, resulting in tougher skin upon frying later.
- Working quickly, remove pork belly to plate or cutting board and let pot cool off the heat, saving cooking water for soaking. Wipe excess oil from skin surface with a paper towel. Holding all three toothpicks together like a stippling brush, poke the skin all over so color can better penetrate. Work about ½ tablespoon of dark soy sauce (more or less as needed) into the warm stippled skin by hand and let sit 5 minutes, skin side up, to absorb the coloring.The skin will not take up color as well if cooled or over-greasy.
- Add caiziyou (more as needed) to wok or skillet so there is roughly ½ centimeter of oil for shallow frying. Heat raw caiziyou to smoking (not needed if subbing other oil), about 410°F (210°C), then turn heat down to low and let cool briefly to about 360°F (180°C). Be prepared with a pan lid or splatter guard—frying WILL cause splattering. Holding the lid in one hand, use a long spatula or pair of tongs to slide in (do not drop!) pork belly skin-side down. Fry for 20-60 seconds or until skin is bubbling and wrinkled, using the spatula to sweep the pork belly around so it doesn't stick. Remove once fried, return to the pot of cooking water and let soak for 10-20 minutes.
- While meat soaks, prepare the preserved mustard stem topping and sauce. Add drained yacai to the hot wok and stir-fry until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add douchi, paojiao or Thai chili, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Stir-fry another 30 seconds, then set aside.
- For the sauce, mix the light soy sauce, remaining ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce, remaining ½ teaspoon sugar and optional splash of baijiu in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Slice the soaked pork belly (skin side down) into pieces no more than ½ centimeter thick. Toss the slices in the sauce to coat, and arrange in 1-2 rows in a shallow steaming bowl, skin side down. Traditionally there are 8 wide slices layered in one row with 1 slice on either side for a total of 10 slices, but with the strip-sized pork belly sold in the U.S., you will likely need to arrange as 16 narrow slices in two rows.Add a couple whole huajiao to garnish, then top with the yacai. Pour any remaining sauce over the yacai. Garnish with the chopped paojiao and ginger slices and additional whole huajiao if desired.
- Fill a steamer with enough water to steam the pork belly over a steaming rack for 70-80 minutes. If using a pressure cooker, allow pressure to release naturally after 70 minutes. While the pork belly steams, wash and drain the bok choy and add them to a pot of boiling water to blanch for 1-2 minutes. Strain the bok choy and keep warm and covered until the pork belly is done steaming.
- Carefully lift the bowl from the steamer and flip onto a plate by covering the bowl with the plate, grasping tightly, and turning upside down. Line with bok choy greens and re-cover the bowl to keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
If the pork belly is not soft enough after 70 minutes of steaming, steam for an additional 10-20 minutes.