Worked from home today and as it turns out, I was way busier than I expected. Had I known, I probably would have gone with something less time and labor intensive. But I'd already thawed the pork belly and since I probably won't be cooking again until Sunday, I went ahead nonetheless. However, my day-long ballet between the kitchen and my computer was anything but graceful . . .
Belly, Bathing Aids & CCK Small Carbon Steel CleaverGave the belly chunks a quick, 10-minute blanching in a bath that including smashed garlic and ginger, leek tops from the freezer and a splash of Shaoxing wine.
Mise En Place & CCK Small Carbon Steel CleaverThere are a few stages here. First up was the blanched belly, which got a quick sear in peanut oil and caramelized granulated sugar . . .
Blanched And Seared Pork BellyAfter that browned and came out, in went the Chinese leeks, onions, shallots, garlic and ginger . . .
AromaticsAfter that had all sweated, I put in a ground mixture of the long pepper, white pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seed, black cardamom and amomum villosum pod. After that, I added the reclaimed blanching liquid
(that I'd heavily reduced), both soy sauces, the broad bean paste and the fermented soy beans sauce
(hiding under the sugar). After that, this went in . . .
SachetStar anise, licorice root, dried monk fruit, angelica daurica and Tien Tsin chili peppers.
Once the sachet was well-submerged, I added back the blanched and seared belly, stirred it all up, covered it and simmered it for a couple of hours until the belly was fork-tender.
A bunch of little steps happened next
(de-fatting, straining reducing, squeezing out the sachet, reseasoning) but I could only choose 2 of these 3: cook, document, work. Unfortunately, work wasn't really a choice and document fell by the wayside.
Very near the end of the cook, when it was essentially ready to serve, I threw in the final two ingredients . . .
Reconstituted Black Fungus & Chinese Broccoli GreensI was glad I remembered to soak the fungus earlier in the day. As for the broccoli greens, I more or less ran out of time, so Mrs. Suburban washed them and separated them from the stems to facilitate quicker cooking. I expect the stems will still be usable next time I cook.
Plated UpOn leftover jasmine rice and garnished with chives. I definitely bit off more than I could chew today but it was worth it. This ended up being one of the best things I've made in a very long time. The pork was tender but not mushy, and really flavorful. The broth was delicious. The fungus and the greens carried the broth well, with the greens imparting a mild bitterness that matched up really well with the rest of the dish.
=R=
Same planet, different world