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!