Longan-Style Salted Steamed Pork Belly
Evolved from traditional Sichuan cuisine, the meat rolls are shaped to resemble longan fruit—rich yet not greasy, with a mellow and aromatic flavor.
Story
Evolved from traditional Sichuan cuisine, this dish features meat rolls carefully shaped to resemble longan fruit in appearance. The preparation yields cuts that are rich and satisfying without being overly greasy, showcasing a mellow depth of flavor and a fragrant aroma that reflects the heritage of Sichuan cooking.
Ingredients
pork belly with skin (scrubbed clean)
500 g
caramel coloring
10 g
Sichuan salt
2 g
Xufu ya cai (chopped)
150 g
soy sauce
15 g
pickled red chili peppers (stems and seeds removed, cut into 4 segments)
6 stalks
refined vegetable oil
500 g
fermented black beans
15 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Scrape the pork clean, place it in a soup pot and cook until five-tenths done (medium), then remove. Pat dry, and while hot, brush sugar coloring (caramel) evenly over the surface of the meat.
2
Step 2
Place a wok over high heat, add oil and heat to 60% hot. Add the meat pieces and fry the skin until brown-red, then remove. Transfer into a soup pot to soak; once the skin softens, remove and let cool. Cut into 24 slices, each 11 cm long, 4 cm wide, and 0.2 cm thick. Remove the stems and seeds from the pickled red chili peppers and cut each into 4 segments (24 segments total). Pick through and clean the ya cai (preserved mustard vegetable), then chop finely.
3
Step 3
Stuff 2 fermented black beans into each segment of pickled chili. Wrap with a slice of meat, rolling into a cylinder shaped like a longan. Stand upright in a bowl, arranging them neatly one by one. Drizzle with soy sauce (with salt added), then add the chopped ya cai and spread level. Steam over high heat for about 2 hours until done, then remove and invert onto a serving plate to finish.
