The most AMAZING melt-in-your-mouth experience you’ll ever have! Juicy strips of pork belly infused with an incredible soy sauce, this Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens is a delicious slice of Chinese comfort food!
Make it a complete Chinese comfort food spread with classics such as Chinese Brocolli (Gai Lan) with Oyster Sauce and Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice!
Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens
I love the smell of porky goodness wafting through my home and this Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens recipe ensures that happens every time. Whenever I smell the aromas, I’m instantly taken to the heart of Grandma’s kitchen, while each bite unearths the fondest memories around the family dinner table.
I can never find fault in pork belly that is unbelievably tender from not one, not two, but THREE tiers of gentle cooking. It’s what I like to call our labour of love.
Trust me, every effort is worth it when the pork belly simply falls apart in your mouth and is soaked in its soy-infused juices.
What are preserved mustard greens?
To get preserved mustard greens, the mustard green plant undergoes a process that includes pickling, drying, steaming and heavy salting. The result is an intensely flavoured vegetable that can range from a light to dark brown colour.
There are two types of preserved mustard greens: (1) a sweeter, lighter one and (2) a darker, saltier one.
For this recipe you can use either, but we had the sweeter version on hand so the measurements need to be adjusted if you use the saltier version.
When preparing preserved mustard greens for any cooking, wash and soak the vegetable multiple times to remove the sand. The water needs to run clear before you can be certain it’s ready!
What you'll need for the Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens
- 1 kg (2 lb) pork belly
- 150 g (1/2 lb) preserved mustard greens (affiliate link)
- water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- cooking oil
- 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (affiliate link)
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (affiliate link)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine (affiliate link)
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
How to make Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens
Dry the preserved mustard greens and chop them finely.
Bring your wok to a high heat and scorch the skin of the pork belly but circling it around the wok. This will remove any hair and odours. You’re after a dark char on the skin.
Run the pork belly under cold water and scrape all the char off using a knife then boil the pork belly for 30 minutes or until cooked.
Take it out to dry.
This next step is optional, but is worth trying at least once for a deliciously sweet skin.
Put the sugar into a small pot and caramelise it. Add 1 tbsp water when ready to cool it down and make it runnier. Brush this onto the pork belly skin until coated.
Alternatively, you can skip this step and simply brush on some dark soy sauce instead.
Fill your wok with oil and deep fry the pork belly, skin side down. You can flip it over and baste the skin to make it extra crispy. Remove the pork from the wok.
While warm, slice the pork belly thinly while stacking each slice on top of one another.
Lay the slices in a steam-friendly dish to cover the whole bowl’s surface. Top with the garlic.
Add oil to a wok and stir fry the chopped mustard greens on a high heat then set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the dark and light soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, wine and pepper. Pour this mixture over the pork belly.
Put the preserved mustard greens on top of the pork belly and steam for 1 hour – 1.5 hours.
When ready, carefully pour the juices from the steamed dish into a bowl. Place a large plate on top of the dish, hold both tightly and flip them over.
Pour the juices back onto the pork for a glossy finish, then serve with rice!
Get more pork on your fork!
Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (梅菜扣肉)
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) pork belly
- 150 g (1/2 lb) preserved mustard greens (we buy it from the local Asian supermarket) affiliate link
- water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- cooking oil
- 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce affiliate link
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce affiliate link
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine affiliate link
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
Instructions
- Wash and soak the preserved mustard greens multiple times to remove the sand. The water needs to run clear before you can be certain it’s ready.
- Dry the preserved mustard greens and chop them finely.
- Bring your wok to a high heat and scorch the skin of the pork belly but circling it around the wok. You’re after a dark char on the skin.
- Run the pork belly under cold water and scrape all the char off using a knife then boil the pork belly for 30 minutes or until cooked. Take it out to dry.
- Optional: Put the sugar into a small pot and caramelise it. Add 1 tbsp water when ready to cool it down and make it runnier. Brush this onto the pork belly skin until coated.Alternatively, skip this step and simply brush on some dark soy sauce instead.
- Fill your wok with oil and deep fry the pork belly, skin side down. Flip it over and baste the skin to make it extra crispy. Remove the pork from the wok.
- While warm, slice the pork belly thinly while stacking each slice on top of one another.
- Lay the slices in a steam-friendly dish to cover the whole bowl’s surface. Top with the garlic.
- Add oil to a wok and stir fry the chopped mustard greens on a high heat then set aside.
- In a bowl, mix together the dark and light soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, wine and pepper. Pour this mixture over the pork belly.
- Put the preserved mustard greens on top of the pork belly and steam for 1 hour – 1.5 hours.
- When ready, carefully pour the juices from the steamed dish into a bowl. Place a large plate on top of the dish, hold both tightly and flip them over.
- Pour the juices back onto the pork for a glossy finish, then serve with rice!
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If you recreated this authentic recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag @wokandkin on Instagram with the hashtag #wokandkin! See you there!
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