Thousand-layer Braised Pork

Thousand-layer Braised Pork

　　 This dish uses streaky pork with both fat and lean as the main ingredient. After boiling, deep-frying, glazing with brown sugar, slicing thinly, and steaming in a bowl, the meat slices become as thin as paper, shaped like shuttles, and numerous in quantity—hence the name "Thousand-layer Braised Pork," also known as Comb Pork. Legend has it that this dish was improved by Tang Dynasty Prime Minister Duan Wenchang during his visit to his hometown of Jiangling. He brought it back to Chang’an for his friends to taste, and from then on, the dish became widely renowned.

　　　Made primarily with pork belly. It is a traditional famous dish in Hubei Province and one of the "Three Big Bowls" served at traditional banquets in the Jiangling area of Hubei.

　　 Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a prime minister named Duan Wenchang, who was a well-known food connoisseur far and wide. He often tasted various foods and had a deep understanding of Chinese culinary culture. He was also an expert cook—his dishes were simple to prepare, used common ingredients, had vibrant colors, and were delicious. After years of practice, he compiled several volumes of recipes himself. The famous dish "Thousand-layer Meat" was his original creation. During the reign of Emperor Muzong of Tang, Duan Wenchang returned to his hometown to visit family. When he hosted a banquet for relatives and friends, the chef prepared many dishes, one of which was called "Comb Meat" due to its comb-like shape. The pieces were large and fatty, immediately putting people off and almost no one ate them. After the banquet, Duan Wenchang approached the chef and suggested improvements. He instructed the chef to replace the fatty meat with streaky pork ribs, swap fried pepper for black bean paste, and add seasonings like scallions and ginger. Then, Duan Wenchang personally demonstrated the technique. A few days later, as Duan Wenchang was about to leave his hometown, he hosted another banquet. The chef followed his instructions and remade the "Comb Meat." This time, the dish had a golden color, tender meat, a delicious flavor, and was rich without being greasy—completely different from the previous version. As soon as it was served, guests eagerly tried it and it was quickly devoured. People asked what the dish was called. Seeing how thin the meat slices were, Duan Wenchang casually named it "Thousand-layer Meat." Thus, the dish gradually made its way onto dining tables and into restaurants of all sizes. Through continuous refinement by professionals, it has been passed down to this day.

　　 During the Qing Dynasty’s Xianfeng era, General En, a Manchu officer stationed in Jingzhou, once opened a shop to serve this dish but failed to master its essence. The resulting "Thousand-layer Meat" was greasy and unappealing, causing customers to gradually lose interest. Taking advantage of a trip to the capital to report on his duties, General En learned that two imperial chefs, Xiao Dai and Zhang Lin, were retiring to their hometown of Jingzhou. Using his influence, he hired the two chefs as head cooks. Chefs Xiao and Zhang followed Duan Wenchang’s original techniques for making the dish. They changed the original method of making "Thousand-layer Meat" by slicing 20 thick pieces of meat into 80 thin slices, replacing pickled vegetable leaves with Liuyang fermented black beans as a base, and adding Sichuan peppercorns and fermented tofu brine, along with seasonings like scallions and ginger. First, they steamed the dish over high heat, then steamed it again just before serving. This altered the traditional greasy and monotonous preparation and revived the popularity of the official restaurant.

　　 【Characteristics】

　　 "Thousand-layer Meat" is made primarily with streaky pork, through boiling, deep-frying, and steaming. The finished dish has a bright red color, soft and tender meat slices that are not greasy, a rich and mellow flavor, and a harmonious blend of salty and sweet aromas.

　　 【Ingredients】

　　 Main ingredient: 500g fresh streaky pork ribs.

　　 Seasonings: 100g sesame oil (50g used), half a block of red fermented tofu, 150g golden sauce (made by stir-frying brown sugar), 1g salt, 5g scallion segments, 25g soy sauce, 2.5g scallion greens, 6 Sichuan peppercorns, 75g fermented black beans, 25g ginger slices.

　　 【Preparation Process】

　　 1. Place the streaky pork in a pot, add water, and boil over high heat for half an hour. Remove and coat the pork skin evenly with golden sauce.

　　 2. Heat the sesame oil in a pot over high heat until it reaches 50% heat. Add the coated pork pieces and deep-fry until golden brown. Remove, let cool, and slice into 80 thin slices about 4.5cm long (the thinner, the better).

　　 3. Place Sichuan peppercorns, scallion segments, and ginger slices at the bottom of a large bowl. Arrange the meat slices neatly in the bowl. Pour soy sauce and fermented tofu juice over the meat, then add fermented black beans and salt. Steam the bowl over high heat for 4 hours, then remove and let cool.

　　 4. Before serving, steam again until fully cooked, then invert onto a plate. Remove the Sichuan peppercorns, scallion segments, and ginger slices, and sprinkle with scallion greens.

　　 【Key Techniques】

　　 1. When boiling the meat, scrape off any remaining hair or impurities. Wash and place the skin side up in the pot. Fry hot for 2 minutes.

　　 2. The sliced meat should be thin and of even thickness.

　　 3. When arranging in the bowl for steaming, place the meat slices against the bowl bottom, with 50 slices on the front, 15 on each side, plus other seasonings.

　　 〖Acid-Steam Thousand-layer Pork〗

　　 Preparation Method

　　 (1) Finely chop pickled vegetables and mix with salt, brown sugar (powdered), and minced ginger.

　　 (2) Deep-fry the streaky pork, slice, and arrange in a bowl.

　　 (3) Layer the chopped pickled vegetables, add soy sauce and cooking wine, then steam until cooked.

　　 Characteristics

　　 Yunnan-style Thousand-layer Pork with pickled vegetables (water-pickled) has a stronger sourness compared to using dried pickled vegetables or sprouted vegetables. It helps dissolve greasiness, stimulates appetite, and enhances hunger.

　　 〖Thousand-layer Pork Roll Soup〗

　　 Ingredients

　　 200g paper-thin tofu sheets, 500g pork tenderloin, 10g ginger, 10g scallions, 5g sugar, 5g cooking wine, 10g light soy sauce, 2g ground white pepper, 1 egg, 500ml clear chicken broth, 1000ml water, 1 corn cob, 1 carrot

　　 Steps

　　 1. Mix minced pork tenderloin, minced ginger, minced scallions, sugar, cooking wine, light soy sauce, ground white pepper, and egg until the mixture becomes elastic; set aside.

　　 2. Cut the paper-thin tofu sheets into 10cm squares, flatten them, and wrap the pork filling inside. Brush the sealed edges with beaten egg.

　　 3. Lay the wrapped tofu rolls flat on a plate, microwave on high for 2 minutes, then flip and microwave for another 2 minutes on high.

　　 4. In a pot, bring the clear chicken broth and water to a boil with corn pieces and carrots, then add the microwaved tofu rolls and bring to a boil again.

　　 5. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. It’s done.

　　 Finally, it’s recommended to adjust the flavor to your taste by adding an appropriate amount of salt or white pepper before serving for a better taste.