Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens (Farmer’s Style)

Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens (Farmer’s Style)

　　Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens

　　This dish is well known for its richness. If you're on a diet, it’s definitely not suitable.

　　Most people trying it for the first time

　　will put down their chopsticks because of the greasiness. But when you take a bold bite and your mouth is filled with oil, you’ll find it’s nowhere near as rich as red-braised pork. The preserved mustard greens absorb the fat, while the pork belly carries the fragrant aroma of the greens.

　　The combination of preserved mustard greens and fatty pork belly can truly be described as “he wei” (a term in Hakka meaning perfectly matched flavors).

　　Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens is considered by some to be a Hakka dish, by others a Gan cuisine dish. But regardless of the category, it is indeed a long-standing home-style dish from southern China.

　　Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens is just one type of braised pork dish. For example, you could use regular dried vegetables, pickled vegetables, or even dried green beans—some versions don’t even include these ingredients

　　(such as Dongpo Pork). But among all the variations, each has its own unique flavor and characteristics. However, the most commonly made versions at home and in restaurants are still those with preserved mustard greens.

　　Many might assume that Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens is just salted vegetable-braised pork, which isn’t entirely wrong, but also not entirely accurate. The preserved mustard greens used here are pickled, sun-dried, and then preserved—a type of salted vegetable, and actually one of the finer varieties. Once someone asked me if preserved mustard greens

　　are a specialty of Meizhou, the renowned Hakka city. In fact, preserved mustard greens are a specialty of Huizhou, where a beautiful legend is still told: It is said that when the Han people migrated southward from southern Jiangxi, western Fujian into Guangdong, the Hakka people began clearing land to farm for survival, living in extreme poverty at the time. One day, a woman surnamed Lu was washing clothes by the river while her hungry children cried for food. Moved to tears, she watched sorrowfully as her tears fell into the river. At that moment,

　　a fairy descended from the sky, comforted the woman, and handed her a packet of vegetable seeds before disappearing. Deeply touched, the woman called out: “Kind fairy, what is your name? I must repay your kindness someday!” The fairy smilingly replied:

　　“To heal the people is reward enough. My name is Mei.” She then ascended into the clouds and vanished.

　　The woman planted the seeds as instructed. Within days, they sprouted and grew leaves. By winter, the plants were large and lush. When harvested and cooked, they were sweet, tender, and delicious. Her children ate heartily and jumped for joy. When friends and relatives asked what the vegetable was, the lady said it was a gift from the fairy Mei, so they should call it “Mei Cai” (Mustard Greens). Through word-of-mouth, it quickly spread along the Dong River region and became widely cultivated—thus giving rise to preserved mustard greens. Though it's a legend, it reflects the long history of this ingredient.

　　Now that we've talked so much about the greens, let’s discuss the pork. “Braised pork”? As in something covering the meat? Haha, the name comes from its cooking method. In the final step of making braised pork—the plating stage—a chef (like me!) will take the meat out of the steamer, cover it with a plate, then flip it upside down. Once the bowl is lifted, voilà—you can probably imagine how appetizing it looks just from the shape. But that flipping move? It takes years of practice to master. And if you fail, you’re lucky. The worst-case scenario? Scalding your hands (yes, been there). So, before attempting it, better do some practice.

　　Alright, finally, I’ll share with you an authentic recipe for Braised Pork with Preserved Mustard Greens—this is purely from my zero-experience perspective.

　　【Ingredients】700g pork belly, 100g preserved mustard greens. 【Seasonings】600g vegetable oil (about 60g used), 120g lard, 100g chicken broth, 10g cornstarch slurry, 20g sugar, 30g soy sauce, a small amount of minced garlic. 【Instructions】 (1)

　　Simmer the pork in a pot over low heat until 6–7/10 cooked, then remove. Brush with soy sauce to color. (2)

　　Heat the vegetable oil in a wok to 7–8/10 heat, add the cooked pork, and deep-fry until dark red. Immediately rinse in cold running water until no floating oil remains (this is a crucial step). (3)

　　Slice the pork into 10cm-long, 0.8cm-thick pieces, place them skin-side down in a bowl. (4)

　　Wash and chop the preserved mustard greens. Heat lard in the wok, sauté the garlic, add the mustard greens and sugar, stir-fry until well mixed, then place over the pork slices. (5)

　　Mix chicken broth and soy sauce into a sauce, pour it into the bowl, then steam over high heat for 40 minutes. (6)

　　Pour out the braising juices, invert the pork and greens onto a plate. Thicken the juice with cornstarch slurry, then drizzle over the top. 【Characteristics】Rich reddish-brown color, thick savory sauce, neatly stacked pork slices, tender and aromatic.

　　Pour out the original juice, then place the Dongpo pork with preserved mustard greens back onto the plate. Thicken the original juice with a little cornstarch slurry, then drizzle it over the top of the meat to finish. 【Features】The dish features a rich, glossy reddish-brown color, with thick, savory sauce. The pork slices are neatly stacked and slightly raised, offering a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture with a deep, mellow flavor.