Steamed Pork Belly With Yam 芋头扣肉

This dish is a MUST for my family during Chinese New Year, and I think the same for some families too. Mention 'Chinese New Year' and this is one of the first dishes my family will request for (along with braised duck and arrow head...). 

In Chinese, YU TUO 芋头 (yam) has the same pronunciation as 预头. It means good omen. Hehe, the secret why I hardly prepare this dish once a year is because the preparation for this dish is really tedious!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

600 g pork belly with skin

400 g yam

Seasoning:

2 cubes red fermented beancurds

2 tbsp soy bean paste

1 tbsp fresh ginger juice

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine)

1 tsp five spice powder

1 anise star

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

4 cloves garlic

4 shallots

1 tsp chicken granule

1/2 cup water

Method:

1)  Cook the pork belly in boiling for 30 minutes, remove and drain well. Use kitchen tissue paper to wipe and pat dry.

2)  Prick holes over the pork skin, then rub with 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce.  Deep-fry the pork (pork skin facing down) until golden brown.  Remove and soak into cool water for 30 minutes or more. Drain and slice into pieces of 2 cm thickness each.

3)  In the meantime, peel the yam and cut into slices, like the same for the pork in step 2.  Deep-fry  the yam until the external of the yam is just cooked. Dish up.

4) Heat up wok with enough of oil to saute the chopped garlic and shallots till fragrant, add in fermented red bean curd and soy bean paste and stir-fry for few minutes. Now, add in the remaining seasoning, bring to a boil. Turn off the fire, put pork belly and yam to toss evenly.

5) In a deep bowl, arrange one piece of pork belly (skin facing down) alternately with a piece of yam (i.e. belly-yam-belly-yam). Press lightly. Pour the remaining sauce over the dish.

6)  Steam over high heat for 1 hour or till the meat is tender.  Invert the steaming bowl onto a serving plate, garnish with coriander leaves, serve.

Ho jiak!