Braised pork belly with preserved vegetables

Method

1. 1 Boil the whole pork belly with ginger for 30 minutes, then thoroughly dry the skin.
2. 2 Pierce the skin completely with a skewer, then fry the skin-side down in hot oil for 5 minutes, covering with a lid to prevent oil from splashing.
3. 3 Soak the freshly fried meat in cold water for 15 minutes; this thermal shock is what causes the skin to become pitted and puffed up.
4. 4 Soak the dried pickled mustard greens for 1 hour, then rinse three times and stir-fry with garlic, sugar, and soy sauce for 8 minutes.
5. 5 Slice the meat into 8 mm thick slices, then arrange them skin-side down in a bowl, cover with pickled mustard greens, and pour in the sauce.
6. 6 Steam for 90 minutes, then invert the bowl onto a plate so that the pitted skin side is facing up.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 1 hr 40 min

  Replace step 6: steam under high pressure for 35 minutes, then release the pressure naturally; the meat will still be tender and the skin will not become mushy as it would if steamed for too long.