OH, ZESTINESS!

This blogger finds himself yearning for something that takes too long to make on a work day, seeing as I return from Marin with only a few hours left before bed. And on non-work days, I dawdle till the afternoon. Three or four hours in the kitchen? Mmm, maybe not. Besides, vegetable side dishes are required, otherwise my doctor would have a fit.
Evenso, one of these days, baby.


梅菜扣肉
MUI CHOI KAU YIUK

Hakka style steamed pork belly with preserved vegetables.

I know what you are thinking. But the preserved veggies are not really a major component, nor particularly healthy, because we're talking salted and somewhat dehydrated, and the sheer porky goodness of the dish should induce fits of dietary guilt, even horror, among my more fastidious acquaintences.

Slightly over a pound of pork is enough for about three or four people. The preserved vegetables, after soaking and rinsing, should have a volume of about between two thirds and roughly equal to the amount of pork. A bit of garlic and ginger, plus three or four tablespoons of soy sauce, and a hefty jigger of Siu Heng ricewine or sherry. Teaspoon of sugar.


Coarsely chop the rehydrated (if dried, they should be soaked for at least two or three hours; if tinned or plastic packed, half that) plum vegetable (梅菜 'mui choi', or 雪裡蕻/雪里紅 'suet lei hung'; a type of brassica) coarsely. Parboil the entire piece of pork in boiling water for about ten to fifteen minutes, drain and cool, and rub all over with soy sauce (about two TBS) to give it some colour, especially the rind. Then fry it in hot oil all over, two or three minutes. Watch out for splashing. Take it out, and when it's cooled enough to handle, cut it into thick slices. Layer the bottom of a metal, ceramic, or pyrex bowl with the slices, rind side down.
Add little sprinkle of sugar.

Gild the chopped garlic and ginger (a suitable quantity, use your own judgement). When they have started to colour, add the plum vegetable and saute till nicely fragrant; add the siu heng wine and a tablespoon or two of soy sauce. Stir. Decant, and layer on top of the pork; there should be a little clearance only. Put a plate on top, and place in the steamer for about three hours. More time will not hurt the dish.

Now this next part requires care: take the bowl out of the steamer, place a serving plate with a deep rim upside down over the bowl, and deftly flip it so everything ends up on the plate. Bottom layer mui choi, then the thick slices of now superbly tender fatty pork.


Well, anyway you serve it, it's delicious, and you could impress a date or your relatives with your cooking skill. Even most children will love it.
And probably pester a parent to learn how to prepare it.

I prefer a bit more ginger than garlic.



Plenty of rice, to sop up the juices.


This dish brings back fond memories for many people, possibly excepting those with self-imposed dietary restrictions or scrawny white hysterics.


I promise I'll never cook for them.




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