Gan Tang Braised Pork Belly

Gan Tang Braised Pork Belly

　　Gan Tang Braised Pork Belly

　　Most braised pork belly dishes on the market are either too greasy or too tough and chewy. In Gantang Town, Binyang County, however, the pork belly is made with carefully selected ingredients, through a complex process, and seasoned uniquely. Its main features include a crispy skin, tender and flaky meat, a well-balanced sweet and sour flavor, aromatic and melt-in-your-mouth texture, rich yet not greasy, with a subtle wampee fruit aroma, offering a distinctive taste. Gan Tang Braised Pork Belly generally comes in two types: loose-style and taro-style.

　　Main ingredient: premium pork belly. It must be selected from the front pork shoulder — a 30 cm square cut with five alternating layers of fat and lean (commonly referred to as "five-story building").

　　Accompaniment: fragrant taro or daylily (for making loose-style braised pork)

　　Seasonings: ginger, scallion, minced garlic, lemon, wampee, and more than ten other ingredients.

　　Preparation method: Scrape and clean the pork belly, place it in the pot skin-side down and meat-side up, and simmer over low heat until cooked (it’s done when a chopstick can be inserted). After cooking, remove it and use a bamboo skewer to prick the skin, then wipe off excess oil and moisture. Let it cool, then wash with vinegar and salt. Heat oil in a pan and place an iron ring in the oil to prevent the skin from burning. When the oil reaches 30% heat, place the pork belly in skin-side down and meat-side up, cover with a lid. Once the sizzling stops, uncover and remove the pork when the skin turns yellow. Increase the oil temperature, then put the pork back in and fry until the skin forms large bubbles and makes a crisp sound when tapped with chopsticks. Remove and let cool, then soak in warm water until the skin becomes soft and the meat turns crisp.

　　Loose-style: Slice the fried and softened pork belly into thumb-sized strips, mix with seasonings, and braise in a pot. Add daylily and other ingredients three minutes before removing from heat.

　　Taro-style: First slice and fry the fragrant taro for later use. Then slice the fried and softened pork belly, layer it with the taro slices, arrange on a plate, pour on the seasonings, and steam. Another method is to slice both the taro and the fried pork belly into thumb-sized strips, mix with seasonings, and braise together to make taro-style loose pork.