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1
Submerge the mei cai in cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes, changing the water once. Drain, rinse, and squeeze out the excess moisture. The mei cai should taste savoury but no longer aggressively salty.
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2
Place the pork belly skin-side down in a pot of cold water. Bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove and pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. The skin must be as dry as possible before the next step.
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3
Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan. Lower the pork belly skin-side down into the hot oil and fry until the skin is deep golden and blistered — this is where the dish lives or dies: an insufficiently coloured skin will not develop the characteristic colour or texture even after two hours of steam. Remove and drain.
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4
When cool enough to handle, slice the pork belly into pieces approximately 1 cm thick. Season the softened mei cai with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar, and stir to combine.
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5
Arrange the pork belly slices skin-side down in a single tight layer across the base of a heatproof bowl. Pile the seasoned mei cai evenly on top, pressing down gently to pack the layers together.
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6
Set the bowl in a steamer over vigorously boiling water. Steam for a minimum of 2 hours, replenishing the boiling water as needed. The pork is ready when it yields completely under the lightest pressure — the collagen will have converted to gelatin, and the fat will have dripped down through the mei cai, which absorbs it entirely.
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7
Remove the bowl from the steamer. Place a deep serving plate face-down over the bowl and invert in a single confident movement. Lift away the bowl to reveal the pork belly on top, lacquered and tender, with the mei cai beneath. Serve immediately with steamed rice.