Recipe for Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens

Scrape the pork skin clean with a knife, then place it in a clean, oil-free iron pot, skin to the bottom. Rub the bottom of the pot in a circular motion over low heat. Rub until the pork skin turns slightly yellow, then scrape it a few more times with the knife. The pork skin is now clean. (This is a method of using a pot instead of a blowtorch to sear the skin.)

Place the cleaned pork belly in a pot of cold water, add a little cooking wine, ginger slices, scallion segments, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes to make the meat firmer.

Boil and drain.

Use a toothpick to prick the pork skin repeatedly and evenly; this will help the pork skin absorb color and marinate better.

Apply the first-pressed soy sauce evenly for coloring.

Pierce the pork skin with toothpicks. This way, during frying, the toothpicks support the pork pieces, preventing the skin from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning or sticking. (This is because pork skin contains a lot of collagen.)

First, fry the pork skin in a small amount of oil over medium-low heat until the skin develops a slightly hard crust and turns a darker color. While frying the pork skin, continuously baste the pork with hot oil using a spoon.

Use only enough oil to fry the pork skin. Too much oil will cause oil to splatter when the pork pieces are added to the pan, and the lean parts of the pork shouldn't be submerged in oil for too long, otherwise they will become tough. Once the pork skin is fried, briefly fry the other sides to firm up the pork pieces.

When you first start frying, some oil will splatter, but after frying for a while, the moisture on the surface of the meat will evaporate and the oil will stop splattering. You can use a lid to block it for protection.

Fry until golden brown, drain the oil, and remove the toothpicks.

Soak in cold water for 2 hours to develop tiger skin. If you need it urgently, you can ignore the tiger skin and just let it soften.

You can slightly freeze it before slicing, which will make it easier to slice.

Cut the ingredients into pieces, then add five-spice powder, white pepper powder, salt, sugar, first-pressed soy sauce, and second-pressed soy sauce. Spread and pat the mixture evenly over the ingredients.

Arrange the ingredients in a bowl, with the pork skin facing the bottom. Add star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, then top with a layer of dried mustard greens (pre-cooked and processed mustard greens). Press them down firmly, the tighter the better, so that they won't fall apart after the bowl is turned upside down, resulting in a nice presentation.

Place in a pot and steam over medium-low heat for 2 hours. The texture is soft and glutinous, melting in your mouth.

Once steamed, place the plate over the rim of the bowl, quickly flip it over, and the braised pork will be placed on the plate, looking very appealing.

Pick up a piece and take a bite.

It goes perfectly with rice and vegetables, making it a great accompaniment to rice. It's fatty but not greasy, and lean but not dry.