Sweet and Sour Pork Belly
While growing up, I always turned down my dad's taro pork belly, finding it too greasy. Yesterday, while watching TV, a sudden craving for that very dish struck me—unfortunately, I'm far from home now and had to make it myself. I video-called my dad for guidance while preparing the sauce, carefully following each step to avoid any misstep. The moment I opened the steamer, the rich aroma filled the air, bringing an unmistakable feeling of happiness. This is the taste of love—and of home.
Ingredients
pork belly
3000g
ginger
18片
chopped green onions
1把
Instructions
1
Step 1
Prepare the fried pork belly. Make sure to render out all the lard from the meat; otherwise the steamed pork belly will taste greasy (I forgot to take photos during the frying process, will add them next time. You can also buy pre-fried pork belly to use, but frying it yourself is more troublesome).
2
Step 2
Peel the large taro and cut into chunks for later use.
3
Step 3
Cut the fried pork belly into slices of even thickness.
4
Step 4
Place the cut taro chunks into hot oil and fry until the surface is crispy, then remove (fry until the taro floats up).
5
Step 5
Arrange one slice of pork belly and one piece of taro alternately, skin side down, neatly lined up in a deep bowl.
6
Step 6
Try to pack them as tightly as possible, ideally filling the entire bowl completely and compactly.
7
Step 7
Slice the ginger thinly, rinse the chopped green onions, add high-proof baijiu, wear disposable gloves, and vigorously knead to extract the onion and ginger juice.
8
Step 8
The kneaded onion and ginger juice.
9
Step 9
Prepare the sauce: soy sauce, fermented tofu, sour plums, oyster sauce, five-spice powder, a pinch of salt, caster sugar, rice vinegar, and purified water; mix well (all seasonings can be adjusted to personal taste; I personally prefer it more sour, so I add more vinegar).
10
Step 10
Pour the prepared sauce over the pork belly bowl.
11
Step 11
Let each piece of pork belly and taro fully absorb the sauce (soak for at least half an hour, or overnight for better flavor).
12
Step 12
Place the pork belly bowl in a steamer and steam at 100°C for 1 hour. You can also steam it in a pot: bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and steam for 1 hour (adjust based on personal preference—if you like a bit of chewiness, 40 minutes is enough; I personally prefer it very soft and flavorful, so I steam it a bit longer).
13
Step 13
Once steamed, put a plate over the pork belly bowl, flip it upside down, and remove the bowl. It's ready to serve.
14
Step 14
The melt-in-your-mouth, fatty but not greasy steamed pork belly is ready.
15
Step 15
I enjoy eating the pork belly together with the taro—the taro absorbs the aroma of the pork belly, and combined with the melt-in-your-mouth, fatty but not greasy pork belly, it's perfect with rice. The sweet and sour flavor is absolutely incredibly delicious.
