#michiekitchen: HAKKA STYLE STEAMED PORK BELLY WITH YAM (芋头扣肉）

WHAT TO COOK TODAY?

Hakka Style Steamed Pork Belly with Yam

(芋头扣肉）

Pork Belly with yam is a Hakka dish and it's normally called (Wu Tau Kau Yoke) in Chinese Restaurants. It is made with pork belly that is braised along with yam and seasonings. If you love starchy food like yam, you'll gonna love this recipe. Let's cook!

INGREDIENTS:

700g pork belly

600g yam (also known as Taro)

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

A pinch of White Pepper 

Cooking oil 

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

4 shallots (chopped finely)

4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)

1 tablespoon fermented bean paste (Taucu)

4 pieces fermented bean curd (Lam Yee) 

1 tablespoon fermented bean curd (Lam Yee) sauce 

1 teaspoon five spice powder

3 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine 

2 cups water

GARNISHING:

Few stalks of coriander leaves (Yim sai)

2-3 pieces lettuce (Optional)

#Sauce & Garnishing ingredients

Firstly, clean the yam and cut into 1/2 inches thick pieces. (Remember to wear a plastic glove to avoid itchy hands after cutting)

Next, bring a pot of water to boil and blanch pork for 5 minutes. Submerge into cold water and drain. Use a fork and prick the skin and meat for the seasoning to penetrate.  Put in light soy sauce, pepper and five spice powder. Then, set aside and marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat up the pan and put in the cooking oil. Deep fry the yam slices until golden brown and keep aside to cool. 

Fry the seasoned pork until pork skin is lightly brown (Skin side down), then turn over and fry the rest of the meat until light brown. Let it cool and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.

In a small bowl, mix in the fermented bean paste (Taucu) and fermented bean curd (Lam Yee) with sauce. Stir well until it form a thick paste.

Heat 2 tablespoon oil and saute chopped shallots, garlic, mixed fermented bean curd & fermented bean paste until oil separates. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and cook for 2 minutes.

In the meantime, arrange pork (skin side down) alternating with yam slice in a big bowl. 

Pour the sauce over and steam for 3 - 4 hours over medium heat. 

Leave to stand for 20 minutes in the bowl before transferring into a serving plate. Garnish with coriander leaves. If you are using lettuce as garnish, place it on top of the bowl before inverting.