Name: Braised Belly Pork with Fungi and Red Dates
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 pieces fermented red bean curd, mashed; 20 g each dried black and white cloud ear fungi; 6 dried shiitake mushrooms; 6 dried red dates; 500 g belly pork; 2 cups fresh chicken stock; 100 g Chinese broccoli; ½ teaspoon five-spice powder; 4-5 cups vegetable oil; 3 tablespoons cornflour; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 3 garlic cloves, cut in half; 2 tablespoons crushed yellow rock sugar; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Simply Asian

By Neil Perry

Published 2000

About

Belly pork is one of my favourite cuts of meat. With its half lean, half fat consistency, it really does have a sensational balance and depth of flavour. Fat is flavour and, I like to think, does no harm in moderation!

In this recipe, the pork is fried first, to crisp and cook it, before being braised with crunchy fungi, meaty mushrooms and rich, intensely flavoured dates. (The dried fungi and red dates are available in Asian food stores.) This ‘double cooking’ gives the dish a dist