Dongbei Kou Rou

Kou rou, meaning "inverted meat," is a classic celebration dish of Northeast China in which thick-cut pork belly is first braised, then deep-fried to blister the skin, then slow-steamed in a clay pot until the layers of meat and fat collapse into buttery softness. Served upended over preserved mustard greens or pickled suan cai, it appears at Dongbei New Year banquets and wedding feasts — a dish whose labour signals respect for guests.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) skin-on pork belly, in one piece
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) honey
• 4 cups (1 litre) neutral oil, for deep-frying
• 200 g (7 oz) dried Dongbei pickled mustard greens (suan cai) or mei cai, soaked and squeezed dry
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5 g) five-spice powder
• 1 tsp (5 g) sugar
• 2 star anise
• 1 thumb fresh ginger, sliced

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the pork belly and simmer for 30 minutes until just cooked through. Remove and pat dry completely — moisture causes dangerous oil splatter.
2. While still warm, brush the skin with dark soy sauce and honey. Allow to air-dry on a rack for at least 1 hour (overnight in the fridge gives a better result).
3. Heat oil in a wok or deep pot to 180 °C (355 °F). Carefully lower the pork belly skin-side down and fry for 3–4 minutes until the skin blisters and turns deep mahogany. Remove and cool.
4. Slice the pork belly into 1 cm (½ in) slabs. Toss with Shaoxing wine, remaining soy sauce, five-spice, and sugar.
5. Stir-fry the mustard greens with garlic and light soy sauce for 2 minutes to develop flavour. Pack them into the bottom of a heatproof bowl.
6. Arrange the pork slices skin-side down in a tight layer over the greens. Tuck in the star anise and ginger.
7. Place the bowl in a steamer, cover tightly, and steam over high heat for 90 minutes, topping up water as needed, until the pork is completely tender and the fat is translucent.
8. Rest for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate so the skin faces upward and the juices cascade over the greens.

Cook's Notes: The deep-frying step is what creates the characteristic bubbly, lacquered skin — do not skip it. For a multi-day approach, prepare through step 4 a day ahead and steam just before serving.