Soy-Braised Pork Belly with 50 Garlic Cloves

This recipe is my adaptation of  Pork Belly with 40 Cloves of Garlic from The Woks of Life https://thewoksoflife.com/pork-belly-40-cloves-garlic/ . I doubled the recipe from 1 to 2 lbs. of pork belly, added dark soy sauce for extra color, added cilantro as a garnish, and changed up some of the ingredient portions. Don't be fazed by the amount of garlic - the long cooking period renders them into meltingly sweet and tender morsels in the dish!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. pork belly (4 pieces)

BRAISING SAUCE:

2 cups water

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. dark soy sauce

1 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. white pepper

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

50 cloves garlic, peeled*

2 slices ginger

1 star anise

2 tbsp. minced shallots or red onion

1/4 cup Shaoxing wine

2 scallions, chopped

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

*For convenience, I use peeled garlic cloves from Costco-so much easier than doing the peeling yourself

1. Cube the pork bellies into 1 1/2" pieces. 

2. Combine the braising sauce ingredients together in a bowl or measuring cup; set aside.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the pork belly slices; cook for 2 minutes and remove with a strainer to a bowl and set aside.

4. Heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic cloves, ginger and star anise. Cook about 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is lightly browned. Remove half of the garlic to a bowl and set aside.

5. Turn the heat up to medium and add the pork belly pieces to the garlic-infused oil; stir-fry for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned. Add the minced shallots and cook for 1 minute; add 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 

6. Add the braising sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

7. After 1 hour, remove the cover and let cook for another five minutes or until the sauce has reduced and slightly thickened; add reserved whole garlic cloves. Garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro and serve with steamed white rice.

Garlic, shallots, scallions, ginger

Pork belly

Cut into cubes

Braising sauce

Pork belly pieces blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes.

Garlic cloves, ginger and star anise stir fried in oil for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove half of the browned garlic cloves to a bowl and set aside.

Add the blanched pork belly pieces to the remaining garlic in the pan and sauteed until lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes.

Add the minced shallots and cook for 1 minute.

Add the Shaoxing wine and cook another 30 seconds.

Add the braising liquid, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

Soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil.

After 60 minutes, remove cover and let mixture boil for 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in reserved browned garlic and turn off heat.

Garnish with scallions and/or cilantro before serving.

Chinese Steamed Pork Spare Ribs with Fermented Black Beans

This popular and delicious dim sum dish is actually a breeze to make at home. The hardest part is cutting the spare ribs into riblets - something I don't recommend doing yourself. Your best bet is to have your butcher do this or, even better, buy them pre-cut at many Asian markets. I recently even found these at Costco! Some recipes call for the addition of oyster sauce and/or light soy sauce in the marinade. I myself prefer just salt, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine so as not to turn the juices too dark after steaming. The baking soda treatment helps to render the pork extra tender.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. pork riblets (St. Louis-style ribs cut through the bone lengthwise in sections)*

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. water

MARINADE:

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

2 tbsp. Shaoxing wine

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. water

4 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 tbsp. fermented black beans, rinsed in a colander

1 Fresno chile, seeded and thinly sliced

2 scallions, minced

*Have your butcher do this, or you can find these in most Asian markets and Costco

1. Mix 1 tsp. baking soda and 2 tbsp. water together in a small bowl; rub the baking soda mixture all over the pork ribs, place into a shallow baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour. This helps to tenderize the meat.

2. After 1 hour, rinse the pork riblets thoroughly under running water and pat dry with paper towels. 

3. Cut the riblets between the bones into 1 1/2" pieces and place into a bowl.

4. Add the marinade ingredients to the pork and stir well to combine (I like to use gloved hands for this). Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 6 hours or preferably overnight.

5. Place a metal steamer over a wok or pot of water. 

6. Place 3 tbsp. fermented black beans in a small colander and rinse well under running water; set aside.

7. Add 4 tbsp. cornstarch to the pork and mix together well (add in small amounts of water if too dry). Add in 1 tbsp. oil and combine.

8. Place the pork pieces evenly onto a shallow round baking dish. Top with the rinsed fermented black beans and thinly sliced Fresno chiles; put the dish into the steamer, cover and turn the heat up to high.

9. Once the water comes to a boil, steam for 10-15 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

10. If desired, garnish with minced scallions before serving.

St. Louis-style spare ribs, cut across the bones into riblets.

Cut the riblets into 1 1/2" pieces.

Fermented black beans

Rinse the beans under running water to remove some of the salt.

Thinly slice the Fresno chile.

Place the pork in an even layer in a shallow baking dish; top with rinsed beans and chiles.

Steam on high for 10-15 minutes.

Great served with steamed white rice.

Wonton Soup with Bok Choy

This is a basic but really satisfying wonton soup using chicken stock flavored with artificial crab, sesame oil, white pepper, and bok choy (blanching the bok choy in the stock imparts a great taste). You can use store-bought wontons or make your own. I like to use my home-made pork and shrimp wontons, which I make in a large batch and freeze for later use.

SOUP STOCK INGREDIENTS:

16 cups (4 quarts) water + 6 tbsp. chicken base (or canned low sodium chicken stock)

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. white pepper

2 scallions, chopped

1 slice ginger

2 8-oz. packages artificial crab

4 large bok choy, washed and trimmed

24 wontons (serves 4), store-bought or homemade:

https://thegrubfiles.blogspot.com/2012/03/wonton-soup.html 

MAKE THE STOCK* 

1. Combine all the stock ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and re-season as needed (extra chicken base, salt and/or white pepper).

 

2. Place the bok choy into a mesh strainer and place into the simmering stock; cook for about 1 minute or until the bok choy has wilted; strain and set the bok choy aside.

COOK THE WONTONS:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil; add the wontons, stirring gently so they don't stick to the bottom. Once the water comes back up to a boil and the wontons float to the top, cook for 2 minutes.

ASSEMBLY:

Portion out the wontons into soup bowls (about 6 per serving, or more, depending on your appetite). Place a few bok choy leaves into each bowl and ladle enough of the soup to cover the wontons. Add a few drops of sesame oil, and serve piping hot!

*There will probably be leftover soup stock, so you can make additional servings with more wontons or freeze the stock after it has completely cooled.

Chicken base, sesame oil, scallions, white pepper.

Bok choy, washed and trimmed on the root end.

Artificial crab.

Simmer all the stock ingredients together for 10 minutes.

Blanch the bok choy in the stock for 1 minute or until the leaves have wilted; strain and set aside.

Cook the wontons.

Place about 6 wontons per bowl, add a few stems of the blanched bok choy, and ladle enough stock over to cover.

Add a few drops of sesame oil before serving.

Irish Guinness Beef Stew

On our trip to Ireland this past August, we had many opportunities to taste traditional Irish beef stew. What differentiates Irish beef stew from other beef stews is, of course, the addition of Guinness stout. Here's my take on this iconic dish after experimenting with several versions I found in cookbooks and online. So delish that it will warm the cockles of your heart! If you prefer a thicker sauce you can add a cornstarch slurry at the end, although I myself prefer a slightly thinner version.

INGREDIENTS:

3 slices bacon, diced

3 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes

3 tbsp. flour

2 medium onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1" dice

4 large or 6 medium carrots, cut into 1" pieces

3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch slices

Two 11-oz. bottles Guinness Extra Stout

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tsp. dried thyme (or 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme)

1 tsp. dried rosemary (or 1 sprig of fresh rosemary)

2 bay leaves

2 cups beef broth (2 cups hot water + 2 tbsp. beef base e.g., Better than Bouillon)

4 cups water

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Optional-Cornstarch slurry: 2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp. water

1. Place the cubed beef onto a foil-lined baking sheet; season well with salt and pepper and toss to combine (I use my hands with disposable gloves to do this). Sprinkle the flour over the seasoned beef and toss to combine; set aside.

2. Add 2 tsp. vegetable or grape seed oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium. Add the diced bacon and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until browned. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. 

3. Add 1 tbsp. of vegetable or grape seed oil to the bacon drippings in the pot and heat over medium. Add the floured beef to the pot in batches in a single layer (do not overcrowd or the beef will steam instead of browning). Brown the beef cubes on all sides, turning over with tongs; remove to a platter and continue browning remaining beef until done. 

4. To the same pot, add the onions and sauté until lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if needed. Add minced garlic and stir for 10-20 seconds.

5. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and stir to combine; add the diced potatoes, carrots and celery, and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. 

6. Turn heat up to high and add the Guinness stout; bring to a boil and stir, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Boil for 1-2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.

7. Add the beef back to the pot, along with the reserved bacon. Stir in 2 cups of beef broth, 4 cups of water, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

8. If desired (for a thicker sauce), bring the stew up to a boil and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until thickened. 

9. Before serving, season with 2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. black pepper. 

                       

Season beef with salt and pepper, then toss with flour.

Bacon, carrots, onion & celery.

Potatoes and garlic.

Brown the bacon in 2 tsp. of oil, then remove to a plate.

In same pot, add 1 tbsp. oil and brown the beef in batches.

After browning the beef, add the onions and sauté until lightly browned.

Add the garlic and sauté for 20 seconds, then vegetables. Stir in Worcestershire and tomato paste.

Add 2 bottles of Guinness stout and boil for 2 minutes. 

Add beef, herbs, beef broth and water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook for 2 hours. 

You can thicken with the cornstarch slurry if desired; season with 2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. pepper before serving.