(Non-Halal) Braised Fried Pork Belly - Hakka Style（客家炸肉）

Braised Pork Belly - Hakka Style（客家炸肉）。This is one of my mother in-law signature dishes and one of our family's favourite. My mother in-law will cook this dishes whenever there are special occasions like Chinese Lunar New Year, etc. Although we are not "Hakka" but we just simply cannot resist this yummy dishes of "Hakka" people. In "Hokkien" we call it "Zhar Bak" means "Fried Meat". The used of 'reddish cheese' - （南乳）make it taste differently with other meat dishes we have and I love the black fungus in the dish. It's yummy!

Ingredients A:

1kg pork belly with skin
100g black fungus (soaked & cut into biting size)
30g chopped garlic
1 stalk coriander (sectioned)
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1000ml water

Ingredients B:

150g shallots
8 garlic cloves

Marinade:

1 egg (beaten)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/4 pieces reddish cheese（南乳）
1 tsp five spices powder
2 tbsp rose wine

Seasoning:

1/4 tsp reddish cheese（南乳）
1/4 tsp five spices powder
1/2 tbsp "Shaoxing" wine
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

• Blend ingredients B finely become paste and squeeze, reserved the shallot and garlic juice. Set aside.
• Clean and cut the pork belly into small pieces. Marinate it with the marinade ingredients and the shallot & garlic juice (ingredients B), marinate for at least 4-5 hours or preferably overnight in the fridge wrapped with cling wrap.
• Coat the meat with plain flour and deep fried into hot oil at high heat until it's golden brown in colour. Dish out and leave aside.
• Leave 2 tbsp oil in the wok, fragrant 1 tsp chopped garlic, add in water, seasoning and bring to boil.
• Place in pre-fried pork belly pieces and black fungus, bring to boil. Cover, simmer at low heat for 30-40 minutes until the pork belly pieces are tender and the flavour has been absorbed.
• Lastly, add in the remaining chopped garlic and mix well. Cook for further 5 minutes, sprinkle with coriander. Dish up and serve warm.

P/S: This dish will be tastier if we keep overnight. We can always prepare this dish one day ahead and keep it in the fridge before we heat it and serve.

Just in case you don't know what's reddish cheese/red fermented beancurd（南乳）or how it looks like??

source of picture from flickr Piggy

HAPPY COOKING!!

AMY