Mei Cai Kou Rou is most AMAZING melt-in-your-mouth experience you’ll ever have! The pork belly is poached then deep fried to get its signature textured look, then steamed for the juiciest, most tender mouthful. My secret? Steam it for longer!
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!
A golden pot of comfort food
I love the smell of porky goodness wafting through my home, and this Mei Cai Kou Rou recipe ensures that it happens every time.
Whenever I get a whiff of the aromas, I’m instantly taken to the heart of Grandma’s kitchen.
Each mouthful of this Chinese classic unearths the fondest memories around the family dinner table, especially when it’s paired with favorites like Braised Chicken with Mushrooms, Steamed Eggs and Watercress Soup.
I can never find fault in pork belly that is unbelievably tender from not one, not two, but THREE tiers of gentle cooking. The poaching, frying and steaming is what I like to call a labor of love.
Trust me when I say that every effort is worth it. When the pork belly simply falls apart in your mouth, you know the recipe is a keeper.
What is mui choy?
What it is
Preserved mustard greens (pronounced ‘mui choy’ in Cantonese) is an ingredient used in Chinese cooking.
To get mui choy, the mustard green plant undergoes a process that includes pickling, drying, steaming and heavy salting. The result: an intensely flavored vegetable that can range from a light to dark brown color.
It’s sometimes mistaken for salted radish because of its color. Both are used in Asian cuisine (see Grandma’s Steamed Pork Belly with Salted Radish). But mui choy is MUCH saltier and has to be soaked beforehand.
There are two types of preserved mustard greens:
- A sweeter, lighter one and,
- A darker, saltier one
For this Mei Cai Kou Rou recipe you can use either, but we cooked with the sweeter version because we had it on hand.
Just make sure to adjust the measurements if you use the saltier version.
Taste and Preparation
What makes preserved mustard greens a real treat in Chinese cuisine is that it’s incredibly crunchy and can withstand high heat without losing its spring.
Depending on the way it was preserved, it’s inherently salty. However, you can dilute the saltiness from soaking and balancing with sugar.
When preparing preserved mustard greens for any cooking, always 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.
Then let it drip dry in a colander and cook it in your favorite savory recipes like this Mei Cai Kou Rou!
Why this recipe works
- The meat is poached in a liquid infused with aromatics.
- Letting the pork belly rest in water helps the skin develop a beautiful wrinkle.
- Steaming for 2 hours means the meat will be fall apart tender.
What you’ll need
For the pork belly
How to choose the meat
We prefer our meat on the fattier side for Mei Cai Kou Rou, so we often opt for cuts with a higher fat to meat ratio to get a juicier bite. In Chinese, the cut is known as 五花肉 (five flower meat). It comes in this form if you look at it from the side:
- Skin
- Fat
- Thinner meat
- Fat
- Thicker meat
Every family will have different preferences though, so choose what suits you best.
For the pork belly marinade
Marinade variations
There are a few different ways to marinate the meat. Some recipes use oyster sauce (or an appropriate substitute), some use red fermented bean curd and some don’t.
We use red fermented bean curd for our recipe, but you can adjust the marinade to suit your liking.
If you want a sweeter kick, increase the sugar to 2 tbsp and melt it over a low heat until it forms caramel, then brush it over the skin before spreading on the other mixed sauces.
For the preserved mustard greens
About the aromatics
We like to keep the flavor profile of our Mei Cai Kou Rou simple by just using garlic as the main aromatic, but some recipes also call for others including star anise, dried chili and green Sichuan peppercorns.
I prefer it without the extra flavors so that I can really taste the mustard greens. Of course, this is entirely up to personal taste so add the aromatics in to your liking.
How to make this recipe
Prepare the mustard greens by rinsing it in cold water. Repeat this 10 times or until the water runs clear, then let it soak for 30 minutes.
Note: Different brands will require different soaking times. Some have a higher salt concentration than others, which will mean the greens will have to soaked for longer to reduce the saltiness.
Get the wok on high until smoking, then sear the pork belly skin side down for 2 minutes or until charred. This is done to remove any excess fur and smells.
Put the pork in warm water and scrape the char off.
Fill a pot up with 2.5L (10.6 US cup) water and turn the heat up to high. Add 1/4 US cup cooking wine, the sliced ginger and spring onion knot in.
Place the pork belly in the water and let it boil for 30 minutes on high heat. Precooking the meat will help the it hold its shape when steaming.
Meanwhile, give the mustard greens a final wash and rinse and drain it using a colander. Dry it as much as you can.
Pro Tip: We wring them then use paper towels to pat the greens dry.
Finely chop the mustard greens and garlic, then set them aside for later.
After 30 minutes, take the pork out and pat them completely dry. Keep the liquid in the pot for later.
Coat the dark soy sauce evenly over the skin to give it color, then rub the salt over the skin to soak up some of the excess moisture. This will help to reduce the oil splatters when it gets fried.
Fill the wok up with enough oil to fry the pork skin. For our wok, it was roughly 1.5L.
Fry the pork skin side down for 1 minute or until golden brown, then put it back into the liquid it was boiling in earlier. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Note: This step is done to give the skin that signature wrinkled look.
Slice the pork into thin slices and put them into a bowl. The thickness will depend on your preference, but we like ours roughly 1cm (0.4″ thick).
Add the smashed fermented red bean curd, garlic, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt and Chinese cooking wine and mix it all up.
Line the sliced pork in a steam-safe dish, skin side down. Make sure they are arranged so you can see each layer when it’s turned over.
Pour the leftover sauce mixture over the pork belly.
Heat up a wok on high heat and add the mustard greens in. Stir fry it until dry, then transfer into a bowl.
Add 6 tbsp oil to the wok and cook the garlic on medium heat for 30 seconds or until aromatic.
Add the mustard greens back in and stir fry for 2 minutes, then season with the chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar and light soy sauce. Stir fry for 2 minutes over a low-medium heat.
Pour the mustard greens over the pork belly slices and put the dish into a steamer to steam for 2 hours on high heat. Make sure the lid is on the whole time.
When ready, remove the dish from the steamer. Use a smaller plate to press it against the Mei Cai Kou Rou and pour the sauce out into a bowl while holding the meat so it stays in the dish.
Leave the excess sauce aside, then replace the smaller place with a larger one. It should be big enough to be wider than the steamed dish.
Hold the plate and dish tightly together and carefully flip them both over.
Take the steamed dish off to reveal the Mei Cai Rou Kou.
Optional: Pour the excess sauce back into a wok over a medium heat and slowly add in a starch slurry (2 tbsp potato starch mixed with 3 tbsp water), 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup water to thicken it before adding it on top.
Drizzle the sauce over the finished pork and serve immediately as is with rice!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Put it in to steam on high for about 40 minutes or until soft.
The way to get it soft is by steaming it for longer. You can also try wrapping the dish in foil before putting it in the steamer so that it seals in the heat.
Tips for the best results
- Steam for longer. Two hours would be the minimum, but the longer the more tender.
- Slice the meat thinner. This will help it cook faster, which means each slice will end up being softer if cooked for the same period of time.
- Marinate the pork slices overnight. We do this with many recipes for deeper flavors, including Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry and Fish Congee.
Get more pork on your fork!
- Crispy Pork Belly Stir Fry
- Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce (豉汁蒸排骨)
- Steamed Lemongrass Pork With Shrimp Paste
- Mapo Tofu with Pork Mince (麻婆豆腐)
- Eggplant and Pork Mince Stir Fry
Want more home cooked recipes?
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Mei Cai Kou Rou (Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens 梅菜扣肉)
Equipment
- Steamer
Ingredients
For The Pork Belly
- 500 g / 1.1 lb pork belly
- 1/4 US cup Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp salt
- 20 g / 0.04 lb ginger (sliced)
- 4 bay leaves (dried)
- 2 1/2 L / 10.5 US cup water (for boiling)
- cooking oil (for deep frying)
For The Marinade
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 cube red fermented bean curd (smashed into a paste)
For the Preserved Mustard Greens
- 250 g / 0.55 lb preserved mustard greens
- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 6 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- water (for soaking)
Instructions
- Prepare the mustard greens by rinsing it in cold water. Repeat this 10 times or until the water runs clear, then let it soak for 30 minutes.Note: Different brands will require different soaking times. Some have a higher salt concentration than others, which will mean the greens will have to soaked for longer to reduce the saltiness.
- Get the wok on high until smoking, then sear the pork belly skin side down for 2 minutes or until charred. This is done to remove any excess fur and smells.
- Put the pork in warm water and scrape the char off.
- Fill a pot up with 2.5L (10.6 US cup) water and turn the heat up to high. Add 1/4 US cup cooking wine, the sliced ginger and spring onion knot in.
- Place the pork belly in the water and let it boil for 30 minutes on high heat. Precooking the meat will help the it hold its shape when steaming.
- Meanwhile, give the mustard greens a final wash and rinse and drain it using a colander. Dry it as much as you can.Pro Tip: We wring them then use paper towels to pat the greens dry.
- Finely chop the mustard greens and garlic, then set them aside for later.
- After 30 minutes, take the pork out and pat them completely dry. Keep the liquid in the pot for later.
- Coat the dark soy sauce evenly over the skin to give it color, then rub the salt over the skin to soak up some of the excess moisture. This will help to reduce the oil splatters when it gets fried.
- Fill the wok up with enough oil to fry the pork skin. For our wok, it was roughly 1.5L.
- Fry the pork skin side down for 1 minute or until golden brown, then put it back into the liquid it was boiling in earlier. Let it sit for 10 minutes.Note: This step is done to give the skin that signature wrinkled look.
- Slice the pork into thin slices and put them into a bowl. The thickness will depend on your preference, but we like ours roughly 1cm (0.4" thick).
- Add the smashed fermented red bean curd, garlic, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt and Chinese cooking wine and mix it all up.
- Line the sliced pork in a steam-safe dish, skin side down. Make sure they are arranged so you can see each layer when it's turned over.
- Pour the leftover sauce mixture over the pork belly.
- Heat up a wok on high heat and add the mustard greens in. Stir fry it until dry, then transfer into a bowl.
- Add 6 tbsp oil to the wok and cook the garlic on medium heat for 30 seconds or until aromatic.
- Add the mustard greens back in and stir fry for 2 minutes, then season with the chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar and light soy sauce. Stir fry for 2 minutes over a low-medium heat.
- Pour the mustard greens over the pork belly slices and put the dish into a steamer to steam for 2 hours on high heat. Make sure the lid is on the whole time.
- When ready, remove the dish from the steamer. Use a smaller plate to press it against the Mei Cai Kou Rou and pour the sauce out into a bowl while holding the meat so it stays in the dish.
- Leave the excess sauce aside, then replace the smaller place with a larger one. It should be big enough to be wider than the steamed dish.
- Hold the plate and dish tightly together and carefully flip them both over.
- Take the steamed dish off to reveal the Mei Cai Rou Kou.
- Optional: Pour the excess sauce back into a wok over a medium heat and slowly add in a starch slurry (2 tbsp potato starch mixed with 3 tbsp water), 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup water to thicken it before adding it on top.
- Drizzle the sauce over the finished pork and serve immediately as is with rice!
Notes
- Steam for longer. Two hours would be the minimum, but the longer the more tender.
- Slice the meat thinner. This will help it cook faster, which means each slice will end up being softer if cooked for the same period of time.
- Marinate the pork slices overnight. We do this with many recipes for deeper flavors.
- We often opt for cuts with a higher fat to meat ratio to get a juicier bite, but choose what you like best.
- If you want a sweeter kick in your marinade, increase the sugar to 2 tbsp and melt it over a low heat until it forms caramel, then brush it over the skin before spreading on the other mixed sauces.
- Some recipes use oyster sauce (or an appropriate substitute) as part their marinade, some use red fermented bean curd and some don't. Use it if you prefer that taste profile.
- For the preserved mustard greens, some recipes also call for aromatics including star anise, dried chili and green Sichuan peppercorns. Add these if you like those flavors.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 11/11/19 and updated with tips and FAQs in May 2021.
Good technique. Came out tender and tasty!
That’s great to hear, Rita!