Pork Steamed in Lotus Leaves

Name: Pork Steamed in Lotus Leaves
Yield: Serves 8 with 4 Other Dishes
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 15 ml (1 tbsp) thick or dark soy sauce; 2.5 ml (½ tsp) sugar; 2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt; 7.5 ml (1½ tsp) ginger juice; 15 ml (1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine or medium dry sherry; 170 g (6 oz/1 cup) long-grain white rice; 5 ml (1 tsp) roasted ground Sichuan peppercorns; 2.5–4 ml (½–¾ tsp) five-spice powder; 1.5–2.5 ml (¼–½ tsp) salt; 800 g (1¾ lb) rindless belly pork (without the spareribs); 5–6 dried lotus leaves, halved, making 10–12

Preparation info

Serves
8
with 4 Other Dishes

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Classic Food of China

By Yan-Kit So

Published 1992

About

While the Cantonese use lotus leaves to wrap cooked rice, Shanghaiese use them to wrap pork, which they then steam until meltingly tender. The flavour imparted from the leaf works wonders with the pork and the seasoning, making this a truly outstanding dish worthy of all the effort and trouble.

Ingredients

170 g (6 oz/1 cup) long-grain white rice
5

Asia
China
Shanghai
Main course

Method

Prepare roasted ground rice. Rinse the rice, drain and spread out until almost dry.

Heat a wok over a medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the rice and the Sichuan peppercorns and fry them, going to the bottom of the wok with the wok scoop and turning and tossing, for about 10 minutes until the rice is fragrant and brownish. Vary the heat so that the rice d