🫕 Hong Kong style homemade version of the fragrant and delicious stew with fermented bean curd and spotted pork belly

Editor's Preface

The "Beef and Pork Belly Pot" is essentially the same as the lamb and pork belly pots, using fermented bean curd and Chu Hou sauce as the base. The tender, fat-rich pork belly, imbued with the essence of fermented bean curd, is served in many restaurants and clay pot rice shops. I think it's best cooked at home, with a generous helping of fermented bean curd sauce and rice. The recipe isn't difficult, but it does require careful attention to detail. You're guaranteed to enjoy a delicious, home-cooked Hong Kong experience!

🛒 Ingredients preparation

• 400–500g of grouper belly (such as grouper belly/marbled fish belly)

• 2–3 bricks of fermented bean curd (with a little fermented bean curd juice)

• 5–6 slices of ginger

• 3 cloves of garlic (crushed)

• 2 green onions (cut into sections)

• Half an onion (cut into large pieces)

• 4-5 bamboo shoots (soaked and chopped into pieces/optional)

• 4–6 dried mushrooms (soak until softened and chop in half/optional)

• 6 water chestnuts (peeled and halved/optional)

• 1 tablespoon rock sugar

• 1 tablespoon Chu Hou sauce

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 0.5 tablespoon dark soy sauce (for coloring)

• 1 tablespoon cooking wine

• About 400–500ml chicken broth or water

• Corn starch water (for thickening)

• appropriate amount of oil

🫕 Detailed cooking process

1️⃣ Prepare the ingredients

• Rinse the pork belly and pat dry, chop the bones into large pieces, sprinkle with a little salt and wine, and marinate for 10 minutes.

• Soak the bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts in advance.

• Cut the scallions into sections, the onions into cubes, and the ginger and garlic slices for later use.

2️⃣ Deep-fry the pork belly to set

• Heat up some oil in a pan, sear the fish belly on both sides until fragrant (do not over-fry the fish skin), remove and set aside.

• The oil can be reserved for sautéing the sauce.

3️⃣ Stir-fry base

• Use the original pot (you can add a little oil) to sauté the ginger slices, garlic, and onion.

• Add fermented bean curd and chu hou sauce and stir-fry until the fermented bean curd is melted and the aroma is fragrant. It’s done when you can smell the salty fragrance!

4️⃣ Combined stew

• Add the pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots (if any) into the pot.

• Add cooking wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and rock sugar and stir-fry.

• Add chicken broth/water to cover 80% to 90% of the ingredients.

• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from sticking.

5️⃣ Thicken the sauce

• When the ingredients are stewed until the pork belly is well-seasoned, the bamboo shoots are tender and tender, and the soup is slightly thick, turn up the heat and reduce the soup to a jelly-like consistency.

• Use cornstarch water to thicken the sauce lightly and coat all ingredients with fermented bean curd sauce.

6️⃣ Garnish the dish

• Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve hot and spicy. If you want it to be more fragrant, add a little sesame oil to enhance the flavor.

💡 Editor's Tips

• The spotted pork belly must be fried until fragrant so that it does not have a fishy smell. The amount of fermented bean curd and Chu Hou sauce can be adjusted according to personal taste.

• Rock sugar makes the fish belly more chewy and smooth.

• Adding bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts will make the taste richer, but it’s fine without them.

• If you want a restaurant feel, you can add blanched Chinese lettuce as a base.

• The portion is large and the sauce is abundant, and it is really delicious when served with white rice.

😋 Eating experience

The pork belly is smooth and fatty, and the savory fermented bean curd sauce is absorbed by the bamboo shoots. The mushrooms are also very delicious. It is salty and fragrant without being greasy. A bowl of white rice is definitely not enough to wash it down! The triple flavor of fish fragrance, fish flavor, and fermented bean curd is unbeatable 🫕🐟🌿

I'm going to make the hot pot pork belly tonight, and I'm really excited for everyone in the house!