Name: Red-Braised Pork and Garlic on Stir-Fried Chinese Lettuce
Yield: Makes 6 servings as a main dish or 10 to 12 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Hakka
Ingredients: 12 to 16 ounces celtuce tops or romaine lettuce; ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste; 2 teaspoons red yeast rice (optional); 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1½ to 2 pounds boneless pork belly, with skin, or boneless pork butt, trimmed of fat; 1 tablespoon sugar; 18 cloves garlic, each about ½ inch thick; 2 cups water, or as needed; ¼ cup Chinese rice wine (shaoxing) or dry sherry; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

Preparation info

Makes
6
servings as a main dish

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Hakka Cookbook

By Linda Anusasananan

Published 2012

About

For our final meal in Meizhou, the chef of the Fortune Grand Hotel prepared a Hakka meal, Cantonese-style. He describes Hakka food as a branch of Cantonese cuisine. Since both Hakkas and Cantonese live in Guangdong Province, it’s easy to see where some dishes—especially homestyle fare—overlap. One of my favorite results of this culinary cross-pollination is this red-braised pork served on a bed of greens. Dried red yeast rice, ground into a powder, imbues the luscious slow-cooked pork belly