Mei Cai Kou Rou

Recipe at a glance

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb pork belly slab
• 1 cup mei cai preserved mustard greens
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, optional
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup pork cooking liquid

Method

1. Blanch pork belly and cool.
2. Soak, rinse, and chop mei cai.
3. Slice pork and arrange skin-side down in a bowl.
4. Stir-fry mei cai with aromatics and seasoning.
5. Spoon over pork.
6. Steam 90 minutes and invert onto a plate.

Menu-literacy notes

• Mei cai kou rou is strongly associated with Hakka cooking.
• The preserved vegetable is central, not garnish.
• It is a rich pork belly dish.

Variations and substitutions

• Adjust salt, sugar, chile, and vinegar gradually rather than changing all seasonings at once.
• For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, wrappers, broth, cooking wine, and shared equipment.
• When adapting the dish, preserve the core technique and flavor structure that make it recognizable on a menu.

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