Sichuan-style soft, sweet and fragrant pork belly

A classic hearty dish from Sichuan and Chongqing's traditional outdoor banquets, "Jia Sha Rou" (stuffed pork belly with red bean paste) is a must-have for the New Year's Eve dinner table! Slices of fatty, tender pork belly are wrapped around smooth red bean paste, steamed with brown sugar and glutinous rice until soft and flavorful. It's sweet, rich, and not greasy at all, and the pork skin soaks up the broth, becoming incredibly tender and chewy. Its sweet taste is suitable for all ages, and it's always in high demand. A perfect dish for entertaining guests, whether at a traditional outdoor banquet or New Year's Eve dinner, it instantly adds a festive atmosphere to the table.

Ingredients

300g pork belly (This dish is quite time-consuming, so I usually make a large batch and cook it together with braised pork belly.)
200g glutinous rice
250g red bean paste
One spoonful of brown sugar powder
One spoonful of lard
Blanch three slices of ginger.
Blanch 20 dried peppercorn shells.
Blanch two scallions.
Use two tablespoons of cooking wine for blanching.
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 spoonful of fermented rice juice

Steps

Soak glutinous rice in cold water for 24 hours in advance. After soaking, add 1 tablespoon of lard and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar powder and mix well. If the lard is clumpy, heat it in a pot to melt it before mixing.
Select pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat. First, singe the pork skin to remove the fishy smell and hair. Then, put it in a pot of cold water with scallions, cooking wine, peppercorns, and ginger slices to blanch. After the water boils, cook for about 25 minutes, then remove and wash it for later use.
Prepare the coloring sauce: Put 1 spoonful of fermented rice wine (or cooking wine if you don't have fermented rice wine) in a small bowl, add 1 spoonful of dark soy sauce, and stir well.
Use a fork to prick small holes evenly in the pork skin to facilitate browning.
Repeatedly apply the coloring sauce, wait for it to dry slightly before applying again, and repeat several times.
Add a suitable amount of oil to a frying pan, place the pork skin side down and fry. Cover the pan throughout the process to prevent oil splattering. Turn off the heat and wait until the frying stops before opening the lid to check. Fry until the pork skin is golden brown.
Put the fried pork belly into hot water, only soaking the skin part, for half an hour until the skin floats to the surface, making it softer and more tender.
After soaking the meat, freeze it until it is slightly firm, then cut it into "connected slices" (do not cut it completely, leave two slices connected) to make it easier to stuff with red bean paste.
Spread red bean paste evenly in the middle of each slice of meat that is still attached to the cut.
Grease the inside of the steaming bowl with lard, arrange the meat slices with sand filling, skin side down, neatly along the edge of the bowl, and then spread the mixed brown sugar and glutinous rice on top.
(Salted Braised Pork Belly Recipe) After processing the pork belly in the same way, cut it into sections. Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, white pepper powder, minced garlic, and minced ginger, and mix well. Coat each slice of pork with the sauce, place them skin-side down in a steaming bowl, and top with soaked and dried preserved mustard greens. I made a total of 5 servings.
Place the steaming bowl in a steamer and steam over water. After the water boils, turn to low heat and steam for 2.5 hours, until the meat and glutinous rice are soft, sticky and flavorful.
After steaming, invert the dish onto a plate, garnish with red dates and goji berries, add sweet and tender pork belly, and savory braised pork belly that is salty and flavorful, rich but not greasy, it's super delicious!