At the dinner table of family gatherings, there is always one dish that can arouse everyone's resonance and make the taste buds jump, and that is the traditional pork with sauce. Today, what I want to share is not just a recipe, but a warm memory, a taste of home.
This deceptively simple but skillful dish originates in northern China, especially in the cold winters, where it always brings a hint of warmth. To make this dish well, you first need to choose high-quality pork belly. When choosing meat, it is best to choose the part that is fat and thin, and the meat is firm, so that the cooked meat will have a rich taste, fat but not greasy.
Next, comes the crucial step of production. Cutting the pork belly into large pieces about two centimeters thick and soaking it in cold water for one hour can effectively remove blood and impurities. Then, put the meat in a pot, add enough water, heat it until it boils, and simmer slowly over low heat. In this process, ginger slices and green onions can be added to remove the fishy smell of the meat.
After simmering for about 40 minutes, remove the meat and allow it to cool slightly, then gently pat the meat pieces with the back of a knife to loosen the meat. At this point, prepare a clean bowl, pour the broth of the stew into the bowl, add the appropriate amount of dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar and salt, and stir well, which is the key to coloring and flavoring the meat pieces.
The next steps are just as important. Pour the seasoned soup back into the pot, add the meat pieces, and continue to simmer over medium-low heat. At this time, spices such as star anise and cinnamon can be added according to personal taste, but be careful not to overdo it, so as not to steal the limelight of the meat. As the meat slowly simmers, the meat gradually absorbs the flavor of the soup and becomes more delicious.
When the pieces of meat are simmered until they are soft on the outside and tender on the inside, with an attractive reddish-brown color, it's time to turn off the heat. At this time, the meat is fat but not greasy, melts in the mouth, and every bite is a strong hometown taste.
In the process of cooking the meat, the most important thing is to grasp the heat and wait patiently. Every little detail cannot be overlooked, from the selection of ingredients to cooking, every step is full of ingenuity. It's these seemingly insignificant little things that come together to build this delicious dish of meat.
Finally, when you serve this dish full of hometown flavors, you will definitely receive a lot of praise. This is not just a dish, but also a kind of inheritance, a flow of emotions. So, the next time you're in the mood for a heart-warming dish, try this traditional dish of pork and feel the warmth of the kitchen.