Hong Shao Rou — Red Braised Pork
Glossy, amber pork belly braised until it trembles.
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Hakka Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables
Pork belly boiled, fried to a blistered skin, sliced and steamed ninety minutes over pickled mustard until it collapses — the Hakka扣肉 of the report. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 梅菜扣肉客家版, report 143.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 梅菜扣肉客家版_143.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 40 minutesCook: 2 hoursTotal: 2 hours 40 minutesServings: 2–3 (adaptation: the source portion is ~500 g finished)Difficulty: MediumRegion: Hakka (Guangdong)Flavour: Salty-savoury, fermented
Why this works
Kou rou is a dish of transformations, each one setting up the next. Boiling the belly for twenty-five minutes to seventy percent done firms it enough to slice cleanly later, while pricking the skin all over lets the frying fat bubble it into a crisp, blistered crust. A ten-minute ice-water bath after frying is not a pause but a step: it tightens the skin into the springy, slightly chewy texture that defines good kou rou. Marinating the slices in fermented bean curd, soy and sugar seasons the meat from within, and the ninety-minute steam over pickled mustard does the final work — the fat melts into the vegetables below while the vegetables' fermented sourness cuts back through the fat, so the finished slice eats rich but not greasy. The flip at the end is theatre with a purpose: it presents the skin side up, glossy and intact. Steamed rice is mandatory, not optional, because it balances the salt and carries the melted fat.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork belly with skin, fat about 40–50% | 12.3 oz | 350 g | Choose belly with even layers of fat and lean. |
| Hakka pickled mustard (suan cai), soaked | 5.3 oz | 150 g | Soak 30 minutes to remove excess salt (see steps). For the mei cai swap, see Variations. |
| Fermented bean curd (fuyu) | 0.5 oz | 15 g | Red or white; mash to a paste. |
| Light soy sauce | 2 tsp | 10 ml | — |
| Sugar | 1½ tsp | 8 g | — |
| Ginger | 1 tsp | 5 g | 3 g for the boiling water, the rest for general use — split labelled as an adaptation, since the source lists 5 g total and 3 g in the boiling step. |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 3 g | 2 g for the boiling water, the rest to taste — split labelled as an adaptation. |
| Neutral oil, for frying (reusable) | about ¼ cup in the pot | about 50 ml in the pot | The source lists 50 ml with about 20 ml consumed. |
| Scallions, blanched, to garnish | small handful | small handful | The source requires scallions blanched 5 seconds in boiling water, cooled and drained — never raw. |
Equipment
- Steamer or pot with a rack and tight lid, and a deep heatproof bowl that fits inside
- Pot for frying — take care: water on hot oil spits; dry the pork thoroughly first
- Toothpick or fork for pricking the skin
Steps
- Boil. Wash the belly, put in cold water with 3 g ginger and 2 g salt, bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes until about seventy percent cooked — a chopstick goes in but no bloody juices run. Lift out, drain and pat the surface completely dry.
- Prick and fry. Prick the skin densely with a toothpick, about 5–6 holes per square centimetre. Heat the oil to 180 °C and fry skin-side down for 2 minutes until golden and blistered, then turn and fry 1 minute more. Take great care with spitting oil: the pork must be dry and the lid kept handy.
- Ice bath. Put the fried belly in ice water for 10 minutes to set the skin's springy texture. Lift out and drain.
- Slice and marinate. Cut into 0.8 cm slices. Mix the fermented bean curd, soy sauce and sugar into a paste and marinate the slices for 15 minutes.
- Soak the vegetables and assemble. Soak the pickled mustard in water for 30 minutes to remove excess salt, then drain. Lay the pork slices skin-side down neatly in a deep bowl and pack the pickled mustard firmly on top.
- Steam and flip. Steam at 100 °C for 90 minutes — at least 80 minutes, so the fat fully melts. Cover the bowl with a plate, flip quickly and steadily onto the plate, and scatter the blanched scallions. Serve at once with rice.
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Technique: prick, fry, ice, steam
Each step changes the skin's structure: pricking lets steam and fat escape so the skin bubbles instead of splitting; frying sets the blister; the ice bath contracts the skin into its characteristic chew; and the long steam then melts the fat underneath without softening that skin away. Skip the ice bath and the skin stays leathery; shorten the steam and the fat stays solid and greasy instead of melting into the vegetables.
Variations
- Mei cai version: swap the pickled mustard for mei cai (preserved mustard greens), soaked the same way. Sweeter and less sharp — a recognised variant, labelled here as a change from the report's ingredient list.
- Make ahead: steam fully, cool and refrigerate; re-steam for 10 minutes to serve, as the source notes (adaptation of its pre-made note).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use mei cai instead?
Yes — swap the pickled mustard for mei cai, soaked the same way; it will be sweeter and less sharp. The main recipe uses pickled mustard, as in the report's ingredient list.
Why did my skin stay flat?
Usually the skin was not pricked densely enough or the oil was below 180 °C. Dense pricking and a fully dry surface before frying are the controls.
Can I shorten the steam?
Not below 80 minutes — the source sets that as the minimum for the fat to melt. Shorter steaming leaves the pork greasy rather than melting.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated; re-steam for 10 minutes to serve. Freezes well for up to 1 month in its bowl juices; thaw overnight in the fridge and re-steam until steaming hot throughout.
Hakka Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables — Recipe Card
Pork belly blistered, sliced and steamed ninety minutes over pickled mustard until melting.
Prep: 40 minutesCook: 2 hoursTotal: 2 hours 40 minutesServings: 2–3 (adaptation: the source portion is ~500 g finished)
Ingredients: 350 g pork belly; 150 g Hakka pickled mustard; 15 g fermented bean curd; 10 ml light soy sauce; 8 g sugar; 5 g ginger; 3 g salt; ~50 ml frying oil.
Steps: 1) Boil belly 25 minutes with ginger and salt, dry. 2) Prick skin densely, fry at 180 °C skin-side down 2 minutes, flip 1 minute. 3) Ice water 10 minutes. 4) Slice 0.8 cm, marinate 15 minutes. 5) Pack skin-side down, cover with soaked mustard. 6) Steam 100 °C 90 minutes, flip onto a plate, garnish.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 梅菜扣肉客家版 (data/reports/143.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Original poster image: clouchef.com (梅菜扣肉客家版_143.jpeg). The report's title names mei cai but its quantified ingredient is Hakka pickled mustard, and this page follows the ingredient list, with the mei cai swap given as a labelled variation. The ginger and salt splits and the 2–3 serving presentation are adaptations and are labelled as such.