Kau Yuk

Kau Yuk (or Mei Cai Kou Rou in Mandarin) is a Hakka masterpiece that spread across Cantonese cooking: rich pork belly braised until trembling-soft, layered with mui choi (preserved mustard greens) and steamed until the fat renders into the salty-sweet preserved vegetable beneath. It is the definition of weekend-project cooking, improved by making a day ahead.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Pork belly:

• 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) skin-on pork belly, in one piece
• 2L (8 cups) water, for blanching
• 1 tbsp (15ml) dark soy sauce, for colouring
• Oil for deep-frying (about 500ml / 2 cups)

Mui choi (preserved mustard greens):

• 200g (7 oz) dried mui choi (sweet variety, not salty)
• 2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp (30ml) oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5g) sugar

Braising sauce:

• 3 tbsp (45ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbsp (30ml) dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15g) rock sugar, crushed
• 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 2 star anise

Instructions

1. Day one — prepare pork: Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove, pat dry. While still hot, brush the skin generously with dark soy sauce and allow to air-dry on a rack for 30–60 minutes (or use a fan).
2. Heat oil in a wok to 180°C (355°F). Carefully lower the pork belly skin-side down (it will spit) and fry for 3–4 minutes until the skin is deep mahogany and blistered. Remove and immediately plunge into a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes — this causes the skin to puff and blister dramatically. Drain and pat dry.
3. Soak and prepare mui choi: Soak dried mui choi in cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse, squeeze dry, and chop roughly. Stir-fry in oil with garlic for 2 minutes, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Cook 3–4 minutes. Set aside.
4. Slice and braise: Slice the fried pork belly into 1 cm (½ in) slices. In a wide casserole, combine all braising sauce ingredients. Add the pork slices and simmer covered on low heat for 45 minutes, turning once.
5. Assemble for steaming: Line a heatproof bowl or deep dish with the cooked mui choi as a bed. Arrange the braised pork belly slices skin-side down in neat overlapping layers on top of the mui choi. Pour over 3–4 tbsp of the braising liquid.
6. Cover tightly with foil and steam over high heat for 60–75 minutes until the pork is completely tender and the fat is trembling. Rest 10 minutes.
7. Invert the bowl onto a serving plate so the pork skin faces up and the mui choi crowns the dish. Serve with steamed rice.

Cook's Notes: This dish genuinely improves if assembled after step 5 and refrigerated overnight before the final steam. The fat solidifies, making it easy to skim, and the flavours deepen considerably.