He Ye Fen Zheng Rou

Fen Zheng Rou is one of Hunan's most beloved home-cook dishes — fatty pork belly coated in spiced ground rice, then steamed to silky tenderness on a bed of root vegetables and wrapped in lotus leaf. The lotus leaf imparts a haunting floral fragrance that perfumes both the pork and the taro or sweet potato beneath it.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 600g (1.3 lb) skin-on pork belly, cut into 2 cm (¾-inch) thick slices
• 2 large dried lotus leaves, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes until pliable
• 300g (10 oz) taro root, peeled and sliced 1 cm (½-inch) thick
• 200g (7 oz) sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1 cm thick

Marinade

• 3 tbsp (45ml) doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste)
• 2 tbsp (30ml) hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 20g (¾ oz) fresh ginger, grated

Spiced Rice Coating

• 100g (½ cup) long-grain white rice
• 30g (2 tbsp) glutinous rice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

1. Toast the rice, glutinous rice, cinnamon, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns together in a dry wok over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and aromatic. Grind coarsely in a spice grinder — texture should be sandy, not powder-fine.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients. Toss pork belly slices to coat thoroughly. Marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Add the ground spiced rice to the marinated pork and mix well until each slice is coated.
4. Lay the soaked lotus leaves in a large steamer basket, overlapping to create a complete lining with overhang.
5. Arrange taro and sweet potato slices in a single layer on the lotus leaves. Lay pork slices on top, skin side down.
6. Fold the lotus leaf edges over the filling to enclose. Steam over vigorously boiling water for 60 to 70 minutes until pork is completely tender.
7. Open the lotus leaf parcel at the table. Serve directly from the steamer with steamed rice.

Cook's Notes: Taro is traditional, but sweet potato adds a pleasant sweetness that balances the rich, spiced pork. The ground rice coating absorbs all the rendered fat and marinade during steaming, creating a dense, fragrant crust. Dried lotus leaves are available in Chinese grocery stores.