Bean Dregs Braised Pork Head

Name: Bean Dregs Braised Pork Head
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 4 h 10 min
Total time: 4 h 40 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 750 g Pork head meat (hair and bones removed, cut into chunks); 200 g Bean dregs (finely ground, steamed until cooked, then stir-fried until crispy); 20 g Ginger (smashed); 20 g Scallion (smashed); 3 g Sichuan peppercorns; 2 g White pepper; 5 g Star anise; 3 g Black cardamom (Tsaoko); 25 g Cooking wine; 15 g Fermented glutinous rice (laozao); 25 g Rock sugar syrup; 3 g Salt; 20 g Soy sauce; 50 g Lard (for stir-frying the bean dregs); 1 g MSG; 500 g Clear soup

A traditional Sichuan dish of pork head meat slow-braised in a paper-sealed clay pot with a spice sachet until tender and glutinous. Served with crispy, fragrant bean pulp and drizzled with sauce. Deep brownish-red in color with a rich, mellow flavor.

4h 40m

Easy

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Ingredients

Pork head meat (hair and bones removed, cut into chunks) 750 g

Bean dregs (finely ground, steamed until cooked, then stir-fried until crispy) 200 g

Ginger (smashed) 20 g

Scallion (smashed) 20 g

Sichuan peppercorns 3 g

White pepper 2 g

Star anise 5 g

Black cardamom (Tsaoko) 3 g

Cooking wine 25 g

Fermented glutinous rice (laozao) 15 g

Rock sugar syrup 25 g

Salt 3 g

Soy sauce 20 g

Lard (for stir-frying the bean dregs) 50 g

MSG 1 g

Clear soup 500 g

Instructions

Prep the Pork Head

Wash the pork head thoroughly, remove all hairs and bone fragments, blanch in a pot of boiling water over high heat for 5 minutes, then lift out and rinse with clean water. Cut the pork head into large diamond-shaped chunks.

Prepare the Aromatics

Smash the ginger and scallions. Wrap the smashed ginger, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, white pepper, star anise, and black cardamom together in a piece of cheesecloth to make a spice sachet. Steam the finely ground bean dregs in a steamer for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool. Wrap the steamed dregs in a clean cloth and squeeze out excess moisture.

Braise the Pork Head

In a large clay pot, pour in the clear soup and add the cooking wine, fermented glutinous rice, rock sugar syrup, salt, soy sauce, and the spice sachet. Place the pork head bones in the pot, then arrange the cut pork head meat on top of the bones. Bring to a boil over high heat, then seal the mouth of the pot tightly with straw paper and simmer for about 4 hours.

Stir-fry the Bean Dregs

Place a wok over the heat, add the lard and heat until melted, then add the prepared bean dregs and stir-fry over low heat until the dregs turn fragrant and crispy. Remove from the wok and set aside.