A few days ago, I made roast pork using the No scoring method, which I am not happy with as it’s not crackling enough. I decided to braise my leftover roast pork with salted preserved vegetables. This is trial and error experimenting from the memory of how my grandma and mom used to cook this dish.

Google: “Chinese preserved vegetables are a variety of pickled vegetables that are a staple in Sichuanese cooking. They are often made from mustard greens or Chinese radish and have a salty, slightly bitter flavour with a bit of chili powder. How to use it? Chop finely and use a little bit of it in soups, stir fries and stews. It is rather salty so it’s a good idea to rinse it first. Tianjin preserved vegetable is normally used in small quantities.”

I am glad to experiment with the braising of my roast pork belly. It did turn out better. My grandma would be very happy to see that I am able to make it similar to her cooking. It was comforting, flavourful, and delicious to go with rice. Let’s braise to make it a new dish!!!

Ingredients

1.5 kg sliced roast pork belly
1 packet salted preserved vegetables about 450 g
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs dark soy sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
2 Tbs Shaoxing wine
2 Tbs sugar
5 pieces of star anise
2 cloves
6-8 c water
salt
pepper
oil

Method

Wash, rinse, then soak the salted preserved vegetables for roughly 5 hours or overnight, until the leaves start to fan out. Remember to change the water halfway through soaking if possible. Once they’ve fanned out, after soaking overnight, rinse the vegetable thoroughly under running cool water to remove the sand and impurities. Then squeeze them dry, use a knife to slice off the hard bits of the salted preserved vegetables and chop them up into small pieces. Note: You may need to wash it a few more times for a deep clean. and to remove the saltiness.

Next day, heat 2 Tbs oil in a large pot on medium heat. Cook garlic and onion until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Now add the salted preserved vegetables cook for 3 minutes. Then, add the light and dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, star anise, and cloves in a little braising pouch so, they can be easily removed after cooking and pepper. Add the sliced roast pork belly. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour water into the pot. Season with a little salt if necessary. Cover and bring to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low heat to absorb the flavour. Serve with rice. Enjoy!!!!!

https://helenscchin.com/2021/12/17/braised-roast-pork-and-salted-preserved-vegetables/

#helenscchinrecipes
#asianculinarycurrynoodles
#stewmealsbraisedmealscastironslowcookingmeals
#cookingforthefun
#foodiesplus