-
1
Place the pork belly pieces in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, blanch for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold running water. The surface of each piece should be clean and firm, with no grey scum remaining.
-
2
Rinse the suan cai briefly under cold running water — once only — then squeeze out excess moisture with both hands. Slice or separate the leaves loosely. The cabbage must retain its sour smell; if that sourness is gone, it has been over-rinsed and will not recover.
-
3
Place the blanched pork belly and the prepared suan cai together in an earthenware pot. Add 1.2 litres of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low, steady simmer. This is where the dish lives or dies: the simmer must be long enough for the pork fat to render fully into the broth and meld with the sour cabbage — too short and the two remain separate; too fierce and the pork tightens. Simmer, partially covered, for at least 60 minutes, until the broth is opaque, faintly golden, and the pork yields without resistance when pressed.
-
4
If using glass noodles, add them to the pot in the final 10 minutes of cooking. They are ready when fully translucent and have absorbed the broth's colour and savour.
-
5
Season with salt alone — no other seasoning. Taste the broth: it should be sour, rich, and clean in equal measure. Adjust salt only. Bring the earthenware pot directly to the table.