Pressed Pork

Pressed Pork

　　Pressed Pork

　　Pressed Pork, also known as pork made from pig’s head, is exquisitely processed with specialized seasonings, representing the unique craftsmanship of Western Beijing-style pressed pork.

　　Ingredients: one pig’s head weighing around 15 jin (approx. 7.5 kg), half a jin (approx. 250 g) of high-quality kelp, and 1 jin (approx. 500 g) of walnuts. Boil the kelp, then soak it in clean water, changing the water and washing it three times within one day, then set aside for later use; crush the walnuts to remove the kernels, soak them in warm water until softened, then peel and set aside for later use; the pig’s head is singed (to remove hair), scraped, washed, split open, and boiled in a pot. Once cooked, the meat is disassembled — the ears and pork tongue can be used for other dishes — while the remaining pork head meat is sliced into large, thin pieces and set aside for later use.

　　Preparation Method: First, place a clean bean curd cloth flat on the chopping board, then lay the cleaned wide kelp on top. Depending on the amount of meat, you may layer 2–3 pieces of kelp. At this point, return the pork head meat to the pan to stir-fry, adding minced scallions, ginger, garlic, ground star anise, MSG, and salt as seasonings. When the meat is stir-fried until hot and begins to release oil, turn off the heat, scoop the fried meat onto the laid-out kelp, and spread it evenly. Then, layer a uniform spread of walnut kernels on top, followed by another layer of meat, then another layer of walnut kernels. You may repeat this up to four or five layers, with the prepared meat and walnut kernels layered in between. Next, lift the edges of the kelp underneath and fold them over to cover the top. The final appearance is a rectangular kelp package. Finally, lift the edges of the bean curd cloth and wrap everything tightly. Place a flat board larger than the meat package on top, and put at least 100 jin (approx. 50 kg) of weight on the board to press it down. Let it sit overnight before eating; if not needed immediately, pressing it for two more days yields even better results.