Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Cookbook Countdown #3 : Dongpo Pork with Braised Potatoes

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here


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Cookbook Countdown #3 : Recipe No. 5 - Dongpo Pork with Braised Potatoes
from my selected cookbook for this month, My China by Kylie Kwong


This is for pork belly fans! If you are thinking of making this dish, do not skip the first step, on how to remove the impurities from the pork belly pieces. You would be surprised at the amount of scum that appears in the water. There's some sugar used in the recipe, but I have omitted that as I prefer salty dishes to sweet, it's all a matter of preference. And as for the potatoes, I've only added them in during the last 25-30 minutes of braising the pork belly, as I thought that if I braised the potatoes for 50 minutes, they will be mashed potatoes instead! 



Quite a delicious dish! Great with white rice. All you need is just some stir-fried green veggies, and perhaps a bowl of clear vegetable soup.


Dongpo Pork with Braised Potatoes
(My China, by Kylie Kwong or here)
Serves 4-6 as part of a shared meal
750gm (1lb 8oz) pork belly, cut into 1cm (1/2 in) cubes
5cm (2 in) piece ginger, cut into thin strips
4 tablespoons Shao Hsing wine
4 tablespoons peanut oil
375gm (12 oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm (1/2 slices)
3 tablespoons Shao Hsing wine, extra
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar (omitted)
5 cups water

To remove any impurities from meat, place pork belly in a large pan or stockpot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain, discarding water. Rinse pork thoroughly under cold running water and drain well.
Combine pork with ginger and Shao Hsing wine in a bowl. Cover, place in refrigerator and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
Heat half the peanut oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add half the pork and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Remove pork with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add remaining oil to wok with rest of pork and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
Return all pork to wok, along with potatoes, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. (I added the potatoes during the last 30 minutes of cooking). Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently, covered, for 50 minutes or until pork is tender. Serve immediately. 



I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 




8 comments:

  1. What good dish, very inviting, congratulations inspires a lot and just delicious! Complimentissimi a hug, Mirta

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  2. Blanching the meat first is such an interesting technique. I rarely eat pork belly but that dish is incredibly enticing.

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  3. Scrumptious! I too love potatoes, in solid state in dishes like this!

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  4. Hi Joyce,

    Thanks for this great tip for cooking pork belly. You know... I can be super health conscience and prefer to eat less pork belly :p

    Zoe

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  5. Joyce, without a second thought I would dig in into your dongpo pork! I really like the addition of potatoes.

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  6. I miss pork belly! This is really delicious and moreish, Joyce.

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  7. Hi Joyce, I have been on a watch out for Dong Po Pork recipe but most of them uses a square piece of the pork. This recipe looks much easier to follow. I think I'll enjoy the skin part more. Wondering if I can omit the potatoes? Bookmarked.

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    1. Hi Kimmy,
      This braised dish is very easy to cook, and my kids love it with rice. Yes, you can omit the potatoes, as I think that the dish would be just as delicious without it.

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