Monday, June 15, 2015

Spices "Dong Po Rou" (香料东坡肉)

"Dong Po Rou" is a Hangzhou dish which is widely known across China. The dish which is made pan-frying and then red cooking pork belly. The pork is cut thick and should consist equally of fat and lean meat. And the skin is left on. The mouthfeel is oily but not greasy and the dish is fragrant with Chinese wine. The dish is named after the famed Song Dynasty poet and gastronome Su DongPo 
I had this recipe kept long time ago and finally I get it done. With some added ingredients, the outcome was satisfying and all of us love it!


Ingredients:
600g pork belly with skin
2 stalks spring onions
2 whole black / toasted garlic (flatten)
5 slices fresh ginger
* some hemp strings

1/2 tbsp red distilled grains
200ml water

2 star anises
1" cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 nos "Sand ginger" / "Cekor"
2 nos "Cao Guo" / Amomum Tsaoko

5 tbsps light soy sauce
30g palm sugar (I used the Indonesian palm sugar)
3 tbsps Shaoxing wine


Method:
~ Cook the pork belly into the boiling water for 25 minutes, dish out and leave to cool. Cut into 6 equal pieces evenly and knot it with hemp strings (you can ignore tying with the hemp strings if you can't get any)
~ Cook the red distilled grains and water for 20 minutes, strain well and reserve the juice.
~ Heat up 3 tbsps cooking oil in a wok, g=fragrant spring onions, garlic and ginger. Drain well and transfer them into a claypot.
~ Add in pork belly, red distilled grain juice, spices and seasoning.
~ Add in water (just enough to cover the pork belly) and bring to boil.
~ Cover and simmer at low heat for 1.5 hours
~ When the pork belly is tender, dish out and strain the stock. Bring the stock to boil and thicken with a little cornstarch solutions. Pour over to the pork belly and serve hot.



I've also made some Steamed Plain Baos / Mantao to go along with this delicious pork. For the recipe of my Steamed Plain Baos / Mantao, please refer to my older post here.


Have a Nice Day!

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