Dongpo Pork

Ingredients
  • 1/2 kg pork belly
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp tea leaves (or 1 tea bag)
  • 3 stalks of spring onion
  • some sliced ginger for garnishing
  • a piece of lettuce leaf for garnishing

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of water
  • 8 cloves of garlic, lighly crushed
  • 5 slices of ginger
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 5 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing wine/yellow wine
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp corn flour, 2 tbsp water, mixed well
Instructions
  1. Blanch pork in a pot of boiling water. Remove pork & pour away the water.
  2. Put pork back into pot & cover with water. Bring to boil & simmer for 30mins.
  3. Heat wok & add all the sauce ingredients except the mixed corn flour. Stir well & bring to boil.
  4. Reduce to medium heat, add pork & cook every side of the pork for a few mins. Remove pork (make sure drain well) & pour the remaining sauce into a small pan & set aside.
  5. Heat vegetable oil in a wok to a medium heat. Fry every side of the pork until it is well-browned & skin side is a little crispy.
  6. Place pork in a pot, cover with water. Add tea leaves/tea bag & simmer for another 30mins.
  7. Place spring onion stalks at the bottom of a steamer. Transfer pork to the steamer & steam for 2 hrs. Turn pork every one hour & replenish water as & when necessary.
  8. Remove pork to a serving dish topped with lettuce leaf.
  9. Reheat the sauce in pan & add the cornflour to thicken the liquid. Pour over the pork & garnish with ginger.

*The leftover simmer water can be used as stock.