Steamed Pork Belly with Takana, Made with Dish No.3

Pork belly is laid over takana-zuke (pickled mustard greens) and simply steamed. The hands-on time is short; the rest is left to the pot. It looks like a lot of work, and it is a pleasure when a dish like that turns out to be straightforward.

What goes into the mixed sauce is Dish Symphony No.3. It is a blend built on Chinese five-spice, layered with ten ingredients including maniguette (grains of paradise) and peppermint. Use it instead of adding a pinch of five-spice and you get the sweet aroma of star anise and cassia, with a light tingle of huājiāo (Sichuan pepper) and a green freshness on top. The rich pairing of pork belly fat and the sourness of takana gains a clear outline. Pork and Dish 3 suit each other extremely well, and we use Dish 3 in all sorts of pork recipes.

The Dish series is also salt-free, so it does not get in the way of the saltiness of the takana-zuke.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Dish Symphony No.3 1 tsp (about 3g)
• Pork belly (block) 300g x 2 pieces
• Takana-zuke (shop-bought pickled mustard greens, finely chopped) 500g
• Naganegi (Japanese leek), green parts, from 2 leeks
• Ginger (sliced into 2mm rounds) 4 slices
• Soy sauce (for brushing on) 2 tbsp
• Vegetable oil 4 tbsp
• Potato starch (katakuriko) 1 tsp
• Soy sauce (for the mixed sauce) 2 tbsp
• Shaoxing wine 2 tbsp
• Kibi-zatō (unrefined cane sugar) 3 tbsp

Preparation

1. Drain the takana-zuke lightly. Squeezing it too hard drives off the aroma as well, so tipping it into a colander is enough.
2. Mix the sauce (soy sauce 2 tbsp, Shaoxing wine 2 tbsp, kibi-zatō 3 tbsp, Dish Symphony No.3 1 tsp).

Method

1. Fill a pan with enough water to cover the pork belly, add the naganegi and ginger, and bring to the boil. Skimming off the scum as it rises, boil for 40 minutes over low heat.
2. Lift the meat out, plunge it into cold water and let it cool. Pat it dry, prick the skin side in several places with a cocktail stick, then brush 2 tbsp of soy sauce all over it.
3. Heat 4 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and turn the meat from step 2 so that the whole surface takes on colour. Transfer to a tray, let it cool a little and cut into 7mm slices.
4. Arrange the slices from step 3 in two heatproof bowls 15cm across (or one 18cm bowl), overlapping them slightly. Put the drained takana-zuke on top and pour over the mixed sauce.
5. Cover with foil and steam for 90 minutes in a steamer.
6. Once steamed, tip only the cooking liquid into a small pan, taking care not to spill the meat or takana, add 1 tsp of potato starch and set over low heat to thicken.
7. Arrange the takana-zuke on a plate, then the pork belly on top, and pour over the thickened sauce from step 6.

One thing to watch

The 40 minutes of boiling and 90 minutes of steaming do not change even if you double the quantities. What sets the cooking time is the thickness of the meat, not the total weight. That is why we use two 300g pieces: with a single 600g block the heat will not reach the centre, and the timings have to be worked out all over again.

You can mix the spice into the sauce. This dish steams for 90 minutes, so the aroma travels with the steam right into the meat. There is no need to sprinkle any on at the end.

What decides the flavour is the saltiness of the takana-zuke. It varies a great deal between brands, so if yours is salty, rinse a little away when you drain it, and if it tastes flat, adjust by adding kibi-zatō 1 tsp at a time.