Dongpo Pork

During the ancient Song Dynasty in China, a famous writer named Su Dongpo was vanished to the province of Hangzhou in a life of poverty for offending the emperor. While in the said area, he invented Dongpo Pork which became one of that place’s great recipes. Dongpo pork has that unique mouth feel and texture because of the carefully cooked fat. This will show the importance of fat in food appreciation. Sometimes we need to include some fat in our diet once in awhile. People in fact still enjoy it to this day. Many variations on the recipe had been made and I have mine to add to the versions... Try this out and I promise you’ll like it. Let me share my version of this interesting recipe with you...

Ingredients:

1 kg. Pork belly (deboned)

½ cup Water

4 tbsp. Premium dark soy sauce

1 tbsp. Oyster flavoured sauce

1 bulb Garlic (finely minced)

1 pc. Onion (medium sized, peeled, whole)

2 ½ tbsp. Sugar

2 tbsp. Mirin wine

3 pieces Shiitake mushrooms (soaked in about 1/4 cup water, keep water for later use))

½ cup Green onion (minced finely)

1/8 tsp. Five spice powder

¼ tsp. Black pepper (powder)

1 tbsp. Sesame oil

Cooking Instruction:

In a suitable pressure cooker, place the pork, water, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, onion, mirin, shiitake mushrooms, the excess water from hydrating the shiitake mushrooms, and the five spice powder. Cover and pressure cook under low flame for about 20-25 minutes. After the required time, turn off the flame and allow the pressure to dissipate naturally. Do not force dissipation of pressure by venting. When the pressure has subsided, open and remove the meat from the pressure cooker and set aside, to the remaining sauce inside the pressure cooker add the green onions and rekindle the flame to bring it to slight simmering boil for about two minutes to slightly blanch the green onions. Add the sesame oil and mix well. Turn off the flame and set aside the sauce.

Carve the meat with a very sharp knife and plate. Place some of the sauce over the meat and garnish with some of the mushrooms. Enjoy with rice or steamed plain buns as the ancients did several thousand years ago.