Tag: Chinese
Chinese Pork Belly Bun
Chinese Pork Belly Bun
Pork belly buns are one of my favorites. There are many different kinds from many Asian countries. This particular version is from the Xi’an province of China where the pork belly is served on more of a flatbread type of bun, instead of the typical steamed bun varieties that you may be used to seeing. They are traditionally topped with chopped bell peppers and cilantro with a little chili oil. I used shredded cabbage, shallots, and green onion in addition to the peppers and cilantro.There are 2 routes you can go with braising the pork belly: skin-on or skinless. Both are great. Having the skin on does generate a little more grease to the pork, but that can be spooned out. Other then that, the rest of the braising process is pretty straight forward. Towards the end, your should have about 1 cup of the braising liquid left.The flatbreads only have 3 ingredients: flour, yeast, and room temperature water. Mix them together, knead for a couple of minutes, and let rise for 25-30 minutes in a plastic wrap covered bowl. If your a glutton such as myself, you can portion out the dough into 8 equal pieces. But they are typically a little smaller then that, so 10 equal portions is good too. Roll them out into 1”4 thick discs. They take 3-4 minutes a side on a hot oiled griddle. Once they cool off, slice in half and top with the pork belly and the toppings of your liking.
Ingredients
Braised Pork Belly
- 3 lb skin-on pork belly
- 4 dried chili peppers
- 3 whole clove
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 1 whole star anise
- 2” cinnamon stick
- 2 slices of ginger
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Flatbread
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup room temp water
Pork Belly Buns
- bell peppers chopped
- cabbage shredded
- shallots thinly sliced
- cilantro roughly chopped
- green onions chopped
- hot chili oil
Instructions
Braised Pork Belly
- Cut up pork belly into 1” chunks. Place in a Dutch oven, covering with enough water until it is submerged. Bring to a boil. Rub the heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Scoop off the scum that floats to the top.
- Add in the chili peppers, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, star anise, green onions, and shaoxing wine. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the soy sauces, sugar, salt, and cracked black pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Uncover. Simmer for another hour.
- You should have no more then 1 cup of braising liquid left.
Flatbreads
- Mix together the dough ingredients. Flour your hands and knead the dough for a couple of minutes.
- Cover in plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 25 minutes.
- Lightly flour your surface. Portion the dough out into 8-10 dough balls.
- Roll them out about a 1/4“ thick.
- Heat up cooking oil over medium high heat on a griddle. Toss on the flatbreads.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes a side.
Pork Bun Assembly
- Slice a flatbread in half. Scoop on a generous portion of the pork belly. Top off with chili oil, bell peppers, shredded cabbage, shallots, cilantro, and green onion.
Silkie Chicken Soup
Silkie Chicken Soup
I’ve been wanting to make this soup for a very long time. The wait is now over. Silkie chickens are a breed from China with white fluffy feathers and black skin and meat. They’ve been and for thousands of years; eaten and also raised as pets. You can find these chickens at any Asian market, usually in the frozen section. They will come with the feet and head attached, weighing about 1 1/2lbs. ‘Silkie chicken soup is very popular in China, eaten typically for it‘s health benefits. Ginger is naturally an anti-inflammatory. Jujubes, also known as red dates, regulate blood pressure, are good for the digestive system, and are high in vitamin C. Goji berries are full of antioxidants and nutrients, help regulate blood sugar, and are said to promote fertility. Shiitake mushrooms are good for cardiovascular health, helping boost immunity and are high in vitamin D. This soup is extremely easy to make. Throw all of the ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer on medium low for 2 hours. You will know the chicken is done when you can easily pull a whole leg from the body. One of the whole chickens is enough for 2 large servings. The broth that the chicken makes is darker than your typical chicken broth. It is very rich and is honestly the best chicken broth that I’ve ever eaten. Once the broth and it’s contents are portion out into bowls, give it a taste. Add salt to your liking. Then add the chicken to the bowl, followed by another ladle of stock.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 Silkie chicken left whole
- 8 shiitake mushrooms stems removed, left whole
- 2 ears corn cut into 4
- 1/3 cup jujubes
- 1 tbsp goji berries
- 1 thumb ginger sliced
- 6-8 cups water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the silkie chicken.
- Add all of the ingredients except the salt to a large Dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 2 hours.
- You will know when the chicken is done when you can easily pull the leg from the body.
- Ladle out 4 pieces of corn, shiitake mushrooms, jujubes, and broth into a bowl. Taste the broth and season with salt to your liking. Place 1/2 of the chicken into a bowl and ladle on another scoop of 2 of broth.
