Braised pork – a mouth-watering classic Chinese dish, is cooked in a complex process, and the most important thing is to achieve a state of excellent cooking and tenderness. If it is not cooked properly, it may result in the texture of the braised pork being too firm and difficult to taste as it should be. So, how do you cook fluffy and delicious braised pork? Here are a few tips that are important for you.
The first rule of thumb is that the simmer should be cooked for as long as possible. Braised pork is simmered for a long time, usually taking 1-10 hours or more. In order to achieve the tender taste of braised pork, it is advisable to adopt a strategy of first simmering and then simmering during stewing, so as to ensure that the braised pork is not hard and chewy. If you're looking for a more tender texture, you can simmer for a longer period of time, usually for a few hours until the braised pork is fully softened and cooked.
Secondly, the selection of materials is also particularly crucial. In general, it is best to choose pork belly with a combination of fat and lean meat, as it has softer fibre and is more likely to be crispy and flavoury when stewed. On the other hand, if you choose a part with too much lean meat, the time required for simmering will be delayed, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve the effect of soft and moist meat.
In addition, you can add other ingredients such as yuba, chestnut, dried bamboo shoots, dried beans and quail eggs, which will undoubtedly enrich the taste of braised pork and make it more delicious. During the stewing process, adding an appropriate amount of rock sugar is also very beneficial, which can not only make the color of the braised pork more bright and attractive, but also enhance the sweetness and luster of the braised pork.
Finally, it should be noted that during the stewing process of braised pork, the heat and time must be strictly controlled to avoid the deterioration of meat quality caused by too long stewing time. The amount of water added should also be moderate, not too little to penetrate or too much to cause jerky, and it must be just right to create the ideal taste of braised pork.
All in all, it is not impossible to cook fluffy and delicious braised pork, but the length and heat of the stew are decisive factors. On this basis, various condiments are added as appropriate to enrich the taste and nutritional value of braised pork. If you can master and practice the above tips, you will be able to cook amazing braised pork.