Sweet Fermented Rice Preserved Pork

Sweet Fermented Rice Preserved Pork

　　Sweet fermented rice is a uniquely Chinese fermented rice product commonly used by people in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai regions to make snacks such as sweet fermented rice balls in Shanghai, longan and egg stew with sweet fermented rice and glutinous rice cubes in Ningbo, Zhejiang, and sweet fermented rice cakes in northern Jiangsu. During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong era, some government offices and wealthy households in the Jiangnan area used sweet fermented rice as an ingredient when cooking meat and fish dishes to eliminate fishy odors and enhance aroma. The famous Sichuan dish "Dry-Braised Rock Carp" uses it as one of the seasonings.

Sweet Fermented Rice Preserved Pork is made using pork belly with three layers of lean and two layers of fat. First, it is salted and cured with distiller’s yeast for about a week, then hung in a ventilated area until the meat layers dry and harden. After scraping and washing clean, it is cut into two-centimeter cubes, arranged skin-side up in a bowl, topped with a suitable amount of sweet fermented rice, and steamed for about an hour. It is then inverted onto a deep plate for serving. Any leftovers can be stored in a clean jar or wide-mouth bottle, sealed, and refrigerated for up to a month without spoiling. Before eating, simply steam it again.

After curing with salt and distiller’s yeast and air-drying, the proteins in the meat fully coagulate and the saltiness permeates through. Once steamed, the meat becomes exceptionally flavorful. Adding sweet fermented rice during steaming not only enhances the wine aroma but also balances the taste with sweetness, reducing the saltiness of the meat. The steamed pork has a glossy, soft, and chewy skin with a rich texture, while the fat is snow-white, crystal-clear, and meltingly tender—rich yet not greasy. The lean meat is a vibrant red, becoming more aromatic and flavorful the more you chew, stimulating the appetite and whetting the taste buds.

Sweet Fermented Rice Preserved Pork became a beloved home-cooked dish among rural residents in suburban Shanghai as early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Every year after the Winter Solstice, families would slaughter pigs to cure and preserve pork, and by New Year’s when hosting guests, a big bowl of fragrant Sweet Fermented Rice Preserved Pork was always on the table. Today, this humble home-style dish appears on the menus of small eateries at tourist spots in suburban Shanghai such as Qibao, Sijing, and Zhujiajiao, and is highly favored by visitors.