As we mentioned in our Chinese New Year Menu post (2015), Braised Pork Belly with Arrowroot or cí gū mèn nan ròu in Mandarin 慈菇焖腩肉 (the dish’s name really rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) is a must-have dish in our house for Chinese New Year. In Cantonese dialect, Bill’s family has always called it “see goo mun fay gee yook” which literally means “arrowroot braised with fat pork meat” which strikes a culinary cord with him every time Chinese New Year rolls around. All the more reason why we also have it in our Chinese New Year recipe list for 2016 and in our Chinese New Year Recipe Planner archive!
This Cantonese style braised pork belly is one of Bill’s absolute favorites or all pork belly recipes—it’s somewhat similar to our Red Cooked Pork recipe, but it gets an extra dimension of flavor from the addition of fermented bean curd (as is usually the case with these things, it tastes better than it sounds) and the unique flavor of the arrowroot.
When we first got married, my mother-in-law would always ask me to eat arrowroot during Chinese New Year. I had no idea why, until Bill told me the real reason, which is that according to Cantonese tradition, they’re supposed to “help” you have sons. Considering the fact that we ended up with two daughters, I’m not so sure how reliable that advice really was.
Okay, putting aside the bizarre story and my mother-in-law’s dashed hopes, this Cantonese style braised pork belly with Chinese arrowroot is just a great dish. Arrowroot is available now in Asian markets, and you better get there fast if you want to give them a try! I’ve only seen them around the winter months. Any other time of year, I can’t find them—not even in cans. Their texture is almost like a cross between a potato and a water chestnut, and if you really can’t find them, you can substitute potatoes in this dish (especially if you’re not particular about wanting to bear sons).
Let’s get started. You’ll need:
- 2 lbs (about 1 kg) pork belly
- 10 arrowroots (or 2 – 3 large potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2/3 oz. (20g) rock sugar
- 2 large pieces red fermented bean curd, 红腐乳 (you might see it labeled as “bean cheese) w/ 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the jar
- 1/4 cup shaoxing wine
- 1 ½ teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 5 cups water
For the fermented bean curd, make sure you’re buying the RED kind, because there’s also one that’s white. You can read more about fermented bean curd in our ingredient post since we explain everything there is to know about the different types! We buy this brand in a clay pot:
You can also get this red bean curd in regular jars:
Cut pork belly into large (0.75” x 1.5”) chunks. Cutting them larger means they’ll take a little longer to cook, but it’s symbolic of wealth and prosperity for the new year. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and blanch the meat just until it turns opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
Peel the arrowroots. It’s almost like peeling an apple; just trim off the top and bottom, and peel the outer skin. Immediately drop each peeled root into a bowl of cold water to prevent oxidation. If using potatoes, you’re going to want to cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks, but don’t cut them just yet (they take less time to cook than the arrowroot).
When you’re ready to cook, take the roots out of the bowl of water and cut each in half.
Heat the oil in a wok over low heat and add the rock sugar.
Let it melt slowly and then add the fermented bean curd/liquid. Stir for a minute.
Now add the blanched pork belly and arrowroots (if using potatoes, do not add them yet).
Turn the heat to medium and mix everything well. Add the shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, and 2 cups of water. Stir everything together and cover the lid. Simmer over medium low heat.
Check the pot every 5-10 minutes; as the liquid evaporates, add more water 1 cup at a time, stir, and replace the lid. Continue doing that until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is thickened enough to coat the pork. In my case, it took 5 cups of water, and about 1 hour and 15 minutes to fully cook the pork and arrowroot. If using potatoes, cut them into chunks and stir them in after the pork has cooked for about 45 minutes.
If the braised pork belly is fork tender, but there’s still a lot of visible liquid, uncover the wok and turn up the heat to medium high. Stir constantly until the sauce is reduced to a gravy-like state. You can see how the sauce turned into a rich color after it has been stewed and the liquid has been reduced.
Serve your Cantonese Style Braised Pork Belly with Arrowroot with lots of rice and a vegetable, like stir-fried greens or broccoli.
It’s ready to serve on your Lunar New Year dinner table!
Now if these pictures don’t leave you wanting to make this Cantonese style braised pork belly recipe, then maybe a easy roast pork belly is what you need.
Cantonese Style Braised Pork Belly with Arrowroot
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork belly (about 1 kg)
- 10 arrowroots (or 2 - 3 large potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2/3 oz. rock sugar (20g)
- 2 pieces red fermented bean curd (with 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the jar; you might see it labeled as “bean cheese")
- 1/4 cup shaoxing wine
- 1 ½ teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Cut pork belly into large (0.75” x 1.5”) chunks. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and blanch the meat just until it turns opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Peel the arrowhead roots. Just trim off the top and bottom, and peel the outer skin. Immediately drop each peeled root into a bowl of cold water to prevent oxidation. If using potatoes, you're going to want to cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks, but don't cut them just yet (they take less time to cook than the arrowroot).
- When you’re ready to cook, take the arrowroots out of the bowl of water and cut each in half. Heat the oil in a wok over low heat and add the rock sugar. Let it melt slowly and then add the fermented bean curd/liquid. Stir for a minute. Now add the blanched pork belly and arrowhead roots (if using potatoes, do not add them yet).
- Turn the heat to medium and mix everything well. Add the shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, and 2 cups of water. Stir everything together and cover the lid. Simmer over medium low heat.
- Check the pot every 5-10 minutes. As the liquid evaporates, add more water 1 cup at a time and replace the lid. Continue doing that until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is thickened enough to coat the pork. In my case, it took 5 cups of water, and about 1 hour and 15 minutes to fully cook the pork and arrowhead root. If using potatoes, cut them into chunks and stir them in after the pork has cooked for about 45 minutes.
- If the pork is fork tender, but there’s still a lot of visible liquid, uncover the wok and turn up the heat to medium high. Stir constantly until the sauce is reduced to a gravy-like state.
Nutrition
Julie Pai says
I have tried similar methods but the lean meat tunes very tough. Maybe I over cooked it? When I roast it to make crispy pork same thing happens. I thought it should turn tender? Thank you.
Bill says
Hi Julie, there are some parts of the pork that can be lean and tough regardless of what you do with it. Try using marbled or slightly fatty pieces of the pork and set aside the lean pieces (I often trim off thick lean pieces from the whole pork belly) for stir frying (where you cut them thinner or julienne and velvet them before stir frying).
jim wong says
Thank you so much for not only this recipe but all your other ones too. So much of authentic Cantonese dishes. This arrowhead dish is almost exactly as my Dad did it. Now I am 69 and look foward to each Chinese New Year season to cook this dish for my family. I say season ,because in Vancouver Canada,the arrowhead is only available about for about 3 weeks. I want to add 3 hints. Firstly,my Dad added about 6 pieces of star anise. Secondly,he partly smashed about 6 arrowheads.This will thicken the liquid cooking sauce,he always added enough liquid to make the dish like a thick stew which you can laddle over a bowl of steaming hot white rice..so good! Finally at the end of cooking,he added a couple stalks of chopped green onion as eye candy and subtle fragrance. Just like a bowl of Won Ton soup in a restaurant,that little garnish of green onion just before serving makes a big difference. You guys are awesome! Did your fried tofu with black bean,the radish and the taro steamed cakes too. Always looking forward to your emails for new ideas to use my Cantonese ingredients which for the most part,I have already.
Bill says
Hi Jim, thanks so much for your comment and tips/hints from your dad :)