Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens

Grandma’s Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens is deeply caramelized on the outside and ultra juicy on the inside. It’s seared for extra flavor then simmered low and slow in a sticky sweet and savory sauce. Enjoy it over hot rice for an easy weeknight dinner your family won’t forget.

If this recipe excites you, try our steamed version!

The perfect side for rice

Just one look at Grandma’s Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens and you’ll KNOW that’s what comfort food looks like. I used to come home from school and get so excited seeing this dish bubbling away on the stove.

Decades later, those sentiments haven’t changed!

All of Grandma’s braises make my mouth water, whether they’re made using chicken, abalone, fish, eggs or mushrooms, but this recipe goes that little step further. Here’s why:

• It’s EASY. As with most braised dishes, you just sear for flavor, toss in the seasoning and liquid and let it simmer until ready. Do that with only 8 ingredients and you’ve got a succulent side dish ready for your rice!
• Thick-cut pork belly. Need I say more? Each bite will explode with sweet, savory and porky flavor because cooking it low and slow means the soy and oyster sauces will have deeply infused.
• The vegetables add a satisfying texture. Not only does the mui choy absorb the juices, they maintain their crunch to balance wonderfully with the soft meat.
• Gold = flavor! The pork is deeply golden because its outer layer is caramelized and simmered in a dark soy sauce.

When it’s all cooked, you won’t see much sauce at the base of the wok but you can trust that every drop has been soaked right into the pork belly and vegetables. It’s jam-packed goodness over rice!

Why this recipe works

• Tying the meat into a log before cooking locks the flavor in.
• Combining sugar and soy and oyster sauces means you’ll get a sticky sweet-savory caramel.
• Searing the ingredients adds a layer of smokiness that carries through as they braise.

What you’ll need

About the ingredients

We get preserved mustard greens (a.k.a ‘mui choy‘ in Cantonese) from Asian grocery stores. They come in plastic packaging and are heavily salted to keep them preserved. Different brands will have different levels of saltiness.

If you prefer to use a leaner cut of meat for Grandma’s Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens, I would suggest tenderloin.

How to make this recipe

Wash, rinse, then soak the mui choy for 30 minutes or until the leaves start to fan out. Once they’ve fanned out, rinse the vegetable thoroughly under running cool water to remove the sand and impurities.

Note: You may need to wash it a few more times for a deep clean.

Wring the mui choy until dry, then leave aside as you prepare the other ingredients.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, roll the pork belly into a log with the skin side out and wrap kitchen twine (or butcher’s string) around it until it’s tied tightly, then make a knot to hold the string in place.

Alternatively, watch this video on how to tie a butcher’s knot.

Put the tied log into the boiling water and let it cook on medium heat for 2 hours or until soft.

While the pork belly is cooking, use a knife to slice off the hard bits of the mui choy. These can generally be found at the base of the vegetable.

Finely chop the vegetables.

When the meat is cooked, take it out and let it cool enough to remove the twine. Slice them into 1.5cm (0.6″) thick pieces, then cut each one in half or into thirds. Let it rest while you start the next step.

Note: You can slice them as thick or thin as you like. Grandma just always made them on the thicker side.

Heat up a pot on high heat and pour 3 tbsp oil in. When hot, turn the heat to medium and cook half the garlic for 30 seconds. Turn the heat back up to high and pour the chopped mui choy in.

Season with 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder and 1 tbsp sugar, then stir for 5 minutes. Pour the contents into a dish for later.

Add 2 tbsp oil into the emptied pot and when hot, turn the heat to low. Tip in the remaining garlic in to saute for 30 seconds, then turn the heat up to high and pour the sliced pork in. Let it sear on all sides for 3 minutes or until golden.

Season with the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder and 3 1/4 tbsp oyster sauce, then stir until well combined.

Pour the cooked vegetables in and mix for 3 minutes. Let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes on low heat to absorb the flavor.

Serve immediately as is over rice!

Recipe FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Use a butcher’s knot to tie the meat. This ensures that the skin isn’t creased with numerous kitchen twine lines.
• Wring the vegetables well. By doing so, you’ll remove any excess liquid that might dilute the sauce’s flavor.
• Taste test as you go. Every brand of mui choy will have a different level of saltiness, so it’s important to season according to your preferred taste.
• Choose the lighter brown vegetables. If they’re too black or dark, it could mean that they’re old.

What to serve it with

• Take dinner to a whole new level and start with crispy Seafood Rolls dipped in creamy mayonnaise.
• Work in some protein and vegetables with Grandma’s Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry and Chinese Steamed Egg (蒸水蛋).
• Add some spice to your side dishes with our favorite XO Sauce (XO 酱).
• Bamboo Pith Soup (竹笙湯) is a light and nutritious soup to wrap the meal up.
• A sweet Red Bean Dessert Soup (红豆汤) will complete dinner!

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