Dongbei Xue Dou Fu Dun (血豆腐炖)

Xue Dou Fu — blood tofu — is a cornerstone ingredient in Dongbei winter cooking, made by coagulating fresh pork blood with salt to form a firm, iron-rich block with a silky interior. Simmered alongside fatty pork belly and pungent suan cai (pickled cabbage) in a deep amber broth fragrant with doubanjiang and star anise, it transforms into a robust one-pot supper that has warmed Manchurian households through sub-zero winters for centuries.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 400g (14 oz) fresh pork blood tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
• 250g (9 oz) pork belly, skin on, sliced 5mm thick
• 200g (7 oz) suan cai (Dongbei pickled cabbage), rinsed and roughly shredded
• 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp (30g) doubanjiang (spicy fermented bean paste)
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, sliced
• 2 star anise
• 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5ml) dark soy sauce
• 750ml (3 cups) pork or chicken stock
• 2 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch blood tofu cubes for 2 minutes to firm them, then drain carefully and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a clay pot or heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Add pork belly slices in a single layer and fry 3–4 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add doubanjiang and fry 1 minute until fragrant and darkened. Add garlic, ginger and star anise, stir 30 seconds.
4. Return pork belly to the pot. Add suan cai, soy sauce and dark soy sauce, stirring to coat. Pour in stock and bring to a boil.
5. Gently add blood tofu cubes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25–30 minutes until tofu is deeply flavoured and pork is tender.
6. Scatter spring onions over the top, taste for salt, and serve immediately from the pot with steamed rice and extra suan cai on the side.

Cook's Notes: Blood tofu is available in most Chinese grocery stores labelled as 猪血 (pig blood tofu). Handle it gently once in the pot — it firms up with cooking but can crumble if stirred aggressively. A splash of baijiu or Shaoxing wine added with the stock adds depth.