Beijing Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables (Mei Cai Kou Rou)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pork belly slabs and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold water. Pat dry.

In a wok or large deep pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add rock sugar and cook until caramelized (amber color). Add pork belly slabs, skin side down, and fry until skin is golden and crisp. Turn and brown all sides.

Add ginger, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and white pepper. Stir to coat the pork.

Add enough water to just cover the pork. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours until pork is tender.

While pork simmers, squeeze out excess water from soaked preserved mustard greens and chop finely. In a separate pan, stir-fry the greens over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to remove moisture. Set aside.

After 1.5 hours, remove pork from the braising liquid. Let cool slightly, then slice into 1cm thick pieces. Arrange slices, skin side down, in a heatproof bowl.

Layer the chopped preserved greens over the pork. Pour the braising liquid over the top. Cover the bowl with foil or a lid.

Steam the bowl over high heat for 45 minutes. Carefully remove from steamer. Invert onto a serving plate, allowing the juices to flow over the pork. Serve hot.