The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [57]
PORK BELLy, from the underside of the pig, has made its way onto restaurant menus of many different cuisines, from Italian and French to Chinese, and it deserves to be served at your house, too. At first diners at Shun Lee seemed wary of this fatty cut, but once they became familiar with its unctuous texture and great flavor, they warmed up to it. Inexpensive pork belly can be found at ethnic markets. If you can’t find it, use 1-inch chunks of boneless pork shoulder. This dish honors Su Tung-po, a Sung-dynasty poet who lived in Hangzhou and whose cook made him this dish, his favorite.
If you do not want to eat the skin with the layer of fat, remove the skin and just eat the meat. The cognoscenti, however, love the skin. Adding the last tablespoon of sugar at the end makes the sauce shinier. Makes 4 servings
Hangzhou Braised Pork
2 pounds pork belly, cut into eight 2-inch-square pieces
2 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and cut into thirds
1 cup rice wine or dry sherry
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
One 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into 5 slices
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 whole star anise
One 1 ½-inch piece of cinnamon stick
5 small dried hot red chilies
1 pound spinach
1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pork and cook to remove some of the surface fat, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander. Rinse the pork under cold running water for 1 minute.
2. Place the scallions on the bottom of a flameproof casserole or Dutch oven (this keeps the pork from sticking to the bottom), and top with the pork. Add 3 cups water, the rice wine, the ⅓ cup sugar, the ¼ cup soy sauce, and the ginger, white pepper, star anise, cinnamon stick, and dried chilies. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat, and reduce the heat to low to keep the water simmering.
4. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Cut the meat from the bones, and discard the bones. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the ginger, scallions, star anise, cinnamon stick, and chilies from the sauce. Increase the heat to high and boil the sauce, uncovered, until it becomes syrupy, about 7 minutes.
5. While the sauce is reducing, return the saucepan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook just until it is wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Drain well in a colander. Spread the spinach on a platter.
6. Add the pork, the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar to the sauce, and return it to a boil.
7. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork, skin side up, to the center of the platter. Spoon the sauce on top, and serve immediately.
THESE BRAISED RIBS are from the city of Wuxi, a textile center about 150 miles west of Shanghai. The ribs have a complex flavor with hints of sweetness (rock sugar), spice (hot peppers), and wine (fermented red rice). They are yet another version of a red-cooked dish. The fermented red rice contributes its special, musky, winey flavor—and its deep scarlet color. Makes 4 servings
Baby Ribs Wuxi-Style
1 ½ pounds baby back pork spareribs, cut lengthwise into individual ribs and then crosswise into about 20 pieces, each 1 ½ to 2 inches long
¼ cup rice wine or dry sherry
⅓ cup smashed rock sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup fermented red rice, loosely tied in a piece of cheesecloth (see Note)
4 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed
One ½-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, smashed under a cleaver
2 whole star anise
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
4 small dried hot red chilies
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the ribs and cook to remove some of the surface fat, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander.
2. Mix 2 cups water with the rice wine, rock