I really didn’t expect this. The Pickled Pork, originally planned for the menu a few days later, actually needed to be prepared ahead of time. Luckily, I bought a few packs of Dried Vegetable at the dried goods stall this morning. Otherwise, I would have had to make another trip now.
Lin Xu said to Niu Chuan, who was cutting meat, "Leave me a piece of pork belly. A customer wants Pickled Pork. I’m planning to make a few portions—sell one to the customer and keep the rest for us to eat."
This statement stirred a mix of emotions in all the busy staff. The boss was really uncompromising when it came to food. Unlike other restaurants, where you either secretly made something good or waited to eat what the customers left behind.
Lin Xu went to the storeroom, took out two small packs of Dried Vegetable, opened them, and started to soak them in a basin. Dried Vegetable tends to accumulate a lot of dust during processing. Therefore, it needs to be softened in water first and then washed repeatedly to remove all the surface dust.
After the Dried Vegetable was soaking, Niu Chuan also set aside the pork belly needed for the dish. There were three pieces, each weighing more than a pound. The Pork Skin on the meat bought that morning had already been seared, so this step could be skipped.
Lin Xu directly put the pork into a pot, added water to fill it halfway, and then added Scallion and Ginger, and Cooking Wine before turning on the heat.
Pickled Pork was considered an elaborate dish. It involved many time-consuming steps: boiling, frying, soaking, and steaming. The accompanying Dried Vegetable also required soaking, washing, chopping, and stir-frying. From start to finish, this dish took at least three hours to prepare. Compared to this, the other dishes in the restaurant were far less time-consuming and complex—mere child’s play, really. In a way, this was the first time the restaurant was preparing such an elaborate dish.
Lin Xu felt a bit sentimental. When the restaurant first opened, it only served noodles, and he worried about attracting customers. To think that in just half a month, they had started preparing major dishes. At this rate, who knows, maybe one day the restaurant could even master those legendary dishes that sound incredibly simple but are fiendishly complex to prepare. I’m really looking forward to that day!
The water in the pot quickly came to a boil. Using a spoon, he skimmed off the foam and then added a few Sichuan peppercorns, some bay leaves, one Star Anise, and a small piece of cinnamon to impart a subtle fragrance to the meat. He let it continue to simmer.
For Pickled Pork, it was essential to use thoroughly cooked meat. This prevented any off-flavors in the steamed dish and ensured the meat would be fragrant and tender.
Half an hour later, when the pork was tender enough to be pierced easily with chopsticks, he turned off the heat and removed the pork from the pot. He then lifted the pork belly out, placed it skin-side up on the cutting board, and while it was still hot, used a Meat Tenderizer to puncture the Pork Skin. This so-called Meat Tenderizer resembled a brush, its head fitted uniformly with steel needles designed to create many tiny, evenly spaced holes in the Pork Skin. During frying, these holes helped the Pork Skin cook through faster and allowed excess fat to escape. This made the resulting Pickled Pork fragrant and not greasy.
Just as he was busy, Ou Hua arrived, bringing a delivery of drinks and beer. Seeing Lin Xu working with a large piece of meat, he asked curiously, "What are you preparing, Boss Lin? Why are you poking it all over with needles like that?"
Lin Xu smiled and said, "I’m making Pickled Pork. Poking it makes the skin taste even better."
Pickled Pork? Ou Hua, whose business was growing by the day, suddenly had an idea. "Could you set aside two portions of that pork for me? My father has weak teeth and loves meat that’s steamed until it’s incredibly soft. I happen to be going to his place for dinner tonight..."
"Sure, I’ll set aside two portions for you."
Upon hearing this, Ou Hua immediately used his phone to scan a payment for two hundred yuan at the front desk, acting as if he feared Lin Xu might refuse to sell it. "Then you continue, Boss Lin. I’ll come to pick it up at five o’clock."
"Alright. In that case, I’ll steam it a bit longer for you."
After Ou Hua left, the Pork Skin had also been pricked all over. Lin Xu evenly spread a layer of Honey on the Pork Skin, readying it for frying. The Honey was applied so the skin would turn a beautiful red during frying, making the Pickled Pork look more appealing. Besides Honey, Maltose Water, caramelized sugar, or Dark Soy Sauce could also be used to achieve a rich, red hue on the Pork Skin when fried.
After applying Honey to all three pieces of meat, Lin Xu placed the meat under a fan to dry. This allowed the Honey to penetrate the Pork Skin, ensuring the fried skin would be an even more vibrant and beautiful red. While the meat dried, he heated oil in a wok over high heat. When frying meat with skin, it’s prone to splattering hot oil. Therefore, it’s best to use a generous amount of oil in the wok; this minimizes splattering and ensures effective frying.
When the oil reached medium-high heat, he took the fan-dried meat and carefully placed it, skin-side down, into the hot oil. The meat was already cooked through, so the main purpose of frying wasn’t to cook it further, but simply to color the skin.
The meat would need several minutes to fry properly. In the meantime, Lin Xu took a basin and added a few blocks of ice to make ice water.
Before long, the Pork Skin in the wok turned reddish-brown and formed a crisp crust. He then flipped the meat to fry the other sides briefly. Then, using a meat hook, he lifted the pork from the wok and immediately plunged it into the prepared ice water. This shock treatment helped the Pork Skin quickly develop a wrinkled, "tiger skin" texture, which not only enhanced its appearance but also improved its taste.
After the pork was soaking, Lin Xu brought over the softened Dried Vegetable. First, he washed the softened Dried Vegetable twice, vigorously squeezing out the water each time. Then, he soaked it briefly and washed it again, squeezing out all the moisture once more. This thorough cleaning process improved the taste of the Dried Vegetable. Its savory, salty flavor also became purer.
He placed the squeezed-dry Dried Vegetable on a chopping board and minced it. Next, he heated a clean wok, added the minced Dried Vegetable, and stir-fried it over medium-low heat to draw out any remaining moisture. No oil was used during this stir-frying step, as this helps to eliminate any undesirable flavors from the Dried Vegetable. It also rendered the Dried Vegetable thoroughly dry and aromatic. Once all the moisture was fried out, the Dried Vegetable would be able to absorb the excess fat from the pork during steaming. This would make the meat flavorful yet not greasy, and the Dried Vegetable itself would become richly infused with meaty aroma.
The stir-fried Dried Vegetable was then set aside on a plate. By this time, the pork soaking in the ice water was almost ready. The reddish-brown Pork Skin had developed a beautiful, wrinkled "tiger skin" pattern. It looked so tempting.
Lin Xu cut the pork into slices about five millimeters thick and placed them into a mixing bowl. He then took a smaller bowl and added a piece of Fermented Tofu, two tablespoons of Fermented Bean Paste, some Light Soy Sauce, a splash of Cooking Wine, a small spoonful of sugar, and a pinch of White Pepper powder. He first mashed the Fermented Tofu with a spoon, then mixed all the seasoning ingredients into a smooth sauce. He poured this sauce over the pork slices in the mixing bowl. He tossed the slices gently to ensure each piece was evenly coated with the sauce, then let them marinate briefly. After that, he began to arrange the meat in steaming bowls.
The marinated pork slices were arranged neatly in the steaming bowls, skin-side down. He then topped them with the stir-fried Dried Vegetable and ladled a spoonful of the original pork cooking broth over everything. The bowls were now ready for the steamer.
The selection and application of seasonings in this Perfect Level recipe truly exemplified the principle of "less is more" in cooking. Only by doing so could the natural umami and fragrance of the meat itself be brought to the forefront.
Lin Xu was full of anticipation for this batch of Pickled Pork. He had steamed a total of five bowls today: one for Bentley, two for Ou Hua. The remaining two bowls would be just enough for everyone on staff to have a taste.
However, just as he was about to place the bowls in the steaming cabinet, Boss Hu, the owner of the meat stall, arrived. He was delivering some large bones for making pork bone broth. When he saw the bowls of Pickled Pork Lin Xu was holding, his eyes instantly lit up. "Is that Pickled Pork? I’ll take two portions! With this dish, you really need two portions to truly savor it!"
Bro, are you quoting a chewing gum ad or something?