Steamed Pork with Pickled Mustard Greens (Mei Cai Kou Rou)

• Pork belly 500g
• Pickled mustard greens 200g
• Soy sauce 3 tbsp
• Ginger 20g
• Star anise 2 pieces
• Rock sugar 1 tbsp
• Vegetable oil 2 tbsp

How to Make It

• 1

  Soak the 200g of pickled mustard greens in cold water for 20 minutes to remove excess salt, then squeeze dry and chop coarsely.

• 2

  Blanch the 500g of pork belly in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove and pat dry thoroughly.

• 3

  Sear the pork belly in 2 tbsp of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until the skin turns golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

• 4

  Slice the seared pork into 1cm thick uniform slabs and rub them with the soy sauce while still warm.

• 5

  In a bowl, combine the chopped greens, 20g of sliced ginger, 2 star anise, and 1 tbsp of rock sugar, then toss well.

• 6

  Arrange the pork slices in a deep heatproof bowl, skin-side down, and cover with the mustard green mixture.

• 7

  Steam the bowl in a steamer basket over high heat for 90 minutes until the pork is fork-tender.

• 8

  Carefully invert the bowl onto a serving plate, allowing the juices to cascade over the meat.