Mei Cai Kou Rou (Steamed Pork Belly w/ Preserved Mustard Greens)

Mei Cai Kou Rou, a dish of braised and then steamed pork belly, holds a high position on the Chinese comfort food list. A dish that makes you miss the motherland if you’re Chinese, a dish that makes you miss your childhood if you’re me, and a dish that makes you miss Yong He Da Wang (a fast food chain in China that does a pretty good job with this steamed pork belly dish) if you’re Kaitlin.

Mei Cai Kou Rou is a dish that looks so labor intensive, you can tell your guests that you slaved over the stove all day. In actuality, the hardest part of this dish is the process of washing the preserved vegetables (it’s really important to wash them thoroughly). This is definitely a specialty of Chinese pork belly recipes because the preserved mustard greens really add a flavor that is unique and very addictive.

To prepare these dried vegetables, you need to soak them for up to 5-6 hours in a large basin, and wash them 6-7 times, until the water is completely clean. These then to be quite sandy, and you don’t want any sand in your final dish! Washing them in a colander under running water won’t be enough. Get the largest bowl or basin you have, and soak/rinse them at least 6 times. It does seem like a lot of work, but it’s really only a few minutes of active prep.

I used to buy the dried mustard greens that came in a box, and they seemed to be better quality than the brands that come in a plastic bag. If you can find that one, get it! Mustard greens can also be salty (different brands have varying levels of saltiness, and much of that salt gets stripped away in the washing process), so make sure to add soy sauce gradually, and taste along the way.

For this steamed pork belly, you’ll need:

• 5-6 oz. dried preserved mustard greens (about 3 cups after soaked and thoroughly washed)
• 1 ½ lbs pork belly
• Water
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 star anise
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or rock sugar)
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 

Prepare preserved greens. Soak for 5-6 hours. Then wash them in a large basin of water 6-7 times to get rid of all sand and dirt. Drain and set aside.

Put the pork belly in a pot, and cover with cold water. Add the ginger slices and star anise. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 35 minutes. Take the pork out and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium heat. Brown the pork on the skin side first, and then the other sides.

Once browned, add a teaspoon of dark soy sauce and a tablespoon water, and carefully coat the pork in the liquid. Turn off the heat and let the pork cool in the wok.

Carefully slice the pork into ½-inch pork belly slices and arrange them neatly in the bottom of a shallow heat-proof bowl as you see it in the picture below.

In the wok, add another tablespoon of oil and the sugar. Cook the sugar until it melts and turns a caramel color. Add the minced ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the preserved vegetables, and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine and 1 cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat.

Spoon the preserved vegetable mixture over the pork belly slices in the bowl and spread evenly to cover all the pork. Put the bowl in a steamer and steam for 75 minutes. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.

Remove the bowl from the steamer and carefully pour off any excess liquid into your wok (you’ll use this liquid to make the sauce). Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, and add the cornstarch to thicken it. Cover the bowl of steamed pork belly with your serving plate and flip it over onto the plate.

Pour the sauce over the dish and serve. This steamed pork belly dish is glorious with a bowl of white rice!

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4.8 from 5 votes

Mei Cai Kou Rou (Steamed Pork Belly w/ Preserved Mustard Greens)

Mei Cai Kou Rou is a dish of braised, steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens, and it's very high on the Chinese comfort food list!

Prep Time7 hrs

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time9 hrs

Course: Pork

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chinese, mei cai, pork belly, steamed pork

Servings: 6

Calories: 677kcal

Author: Judy

Ingredients

• 6 ounces dried preserved mustard greens (about 3 cups after they're soaked and thoroughly washed)
• 1 ½ pounds pork belly
• Water
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 star anise
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
• 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

• Prepare preserved greens. Soak for 5-6 hours. Then wash them in a large basin of water 6-7 times to get rid of all sand and dirt. Drain and set aside.
• Put the pork belly in a pot, and cover with cold water. Add the ginger slices and star anise. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 35 minutes. Take the pork out and set aside.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium heat. Brown the pork skin side first, followed by the other sides. Once browned, add a teaspoon of dark soy sauce and a tablespoon water, and carefully coat the pork in the liquid. Turn off the heat and let the pork cool in the wok.
• Carefully slice the pork into ½-inch slices, and arrange them neatly in the bottom of a shallow heat-proof bowl. In the wok, add another tablespoon of oil and the sugar. Cook the sugar until it melts and turns a caramel color. Add the minced ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the preserved vegetables, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine and 1 cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat.
• Spoon the preserved vegetable mixture over the pork belly in the bowl and spread evenly to cover all the pork. Put the bowl in a steamer and steam for 75 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the steamer and carefully pour off any excess liquid into your wok (you’ll use this liquid to make the sauce). Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, and add the cornstarch to thicken it. Cover the bowl of pork with your serving plate and flip it over onto the plate. Pour the sauce over the dish and serve. This dish is glorious with a bowl of white rice!

Nutrition

Calories: 677kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 563mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1.3% | Vitamin C: 0.7% | Calcium: 2.1% | Iron: 6%