Hakka Steam Pork Belly With Yam

Hakka Steam Pork Belly With Yam
Adapted from Messy Witchen
Adapted from Pearl Aeon Magazine
With some adjustment
Serves 8

1kg pork belly, cut into 4 slabs
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
Some ground white pepper

600g yam (also known as taro or wu tau), sliced 1/2 inch thick round and then cut into half for easy levelling with the pork, deep fry till light brown

Sauce ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
4 shallots, chopped finely
5 pieces red fermented bean curd (lam yee) (I added some of the sauce too and smashed with a fork)
1 tablespoon fine fermented bean paste (tau cheong/taucu)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons five spice powder
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 3/4 – 2 cups water
few stalks of cilantro (also known as coriander or yim sai)
2-3 pieces lettuce (optional)

Method:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch pork for 5 minutes and then submerge into cold water. Drain and poke skin and meat with a fork for the seasoning to penetrate.

2. Marinate pork with light soy sauce and pepper for 30 minutes. Please drain and wipe the pork as dry as possible because when you fry in the oil you will mess up the kitchen with oil splaterring everywhere if not dry enough.

3. Deep fry yam slices until lightly browned. Keep aside. Then put in the  seasoned pork into the wok with skin side down and quickly cover with wok cover for 5 min to avoid oil splaterring everywhere until pork skin is lightly brown, then turn over and fry the rest of the meat until light brown. Let pork cool and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.

4. Use 2 tablespoons hot oil, saute shallots, garlic, fermented bean curd, fermented bean paste until oil separates. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and cook for 2 minutes.

5. In the meantime, arrange pork (skin side down) alternating with yam in a loaf pan. Pour sauce mixture over it and steam for 3-4 hours over medium heat. Keep adding hot water into steamer to avoid steamer get dry up. Leave it to stand for 20 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a serving plate. Garnish with chopped cilantro. For the lettuce, place on top of pan before inverting.

The more days you keep this dish the more delicious it is.

Serve with hit rice.

Happy Cooking !!
Kelly's Kitchen