Shaanxi Roujiamo (Chinese Burger) — Cook

Ingredients

For the braised pork
1 kg pork belly or pork shoulder, skin on, cut into large chunks
20 g mixed whole spices, a blend of 20 or more — star anise, cassia bark, cloves, Sichuan pepper, fennel seed, dried tangerine peel, bay leaf, cardamom, and related Silk Road spices
60 ml soy sauce
30 ml Shaoxing rice wine
15 g rock sugar
1 litre water, or enough to submerge the meat
10 g salt, to taste
For the mo (flatbread)
300 g plain flour (all-purpose)
160 ml water, warm
3 g salt
For the filling
1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, for the street version (cui shuang)
2 green chillies, finely sliced, for the street version (cui shuang)

Method

1
Combine the pork with water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, salt, and the full blend of 20 or more whole spices in a heavy pot. Bring to a rolling boil, skim thoroughly, then reduce to a bare simmer. Braise, covered, for a minimum of 3 hours. The meat is done when it yields completely to a chopstick pressed against it and the braising liquid has reduced to a deeply fragrant, dark, glossy braise.
2
Combine the flour and salt. Add warm water gradually and bring the dough together; knead until smooth and no longer tacky. Rest, covered, for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly but does not retract sharply under a fingertip.
3
Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each into a thin round, then coil it into a spiral (to build layers), flatten it again, and roll out to a disc approximately 12 cm across. This layering is what produces the mo's characteristic flaky interior beneath its charred crust.
4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until it smokes. Place the mo in the dry pan and cook, pressing lightly, turning every 30–40 seconds, until both faces are deeply golden-brown and spotted with char, and the edges show a faint blister. A clay oven (tan lu) gives the definitive result; a standard oven will not produce the smoky char that defines the bread. The mo is done when the crust is rigid and sounds hollow when tapped.
5
Remove the pork from the braising liquid. Mince the meat finely with a cleaver or heavy knife — do not use a food processor. Return the minced meat to the pot and stir in several spoonfuls of the braising liquid until the mixture is loose, juicy, and glistening. The filling must not be dry; it should hold together but release juice when pressed.
6
Split each hot mo along one edge to form a pocket — do not separate the halves. Pack generously with the juicy minced meat. For the street version (cui shuang), tuck in fresh coriander and sliced green chilli. Serve immediately: the steam from the filling will begin to soften the crust within minutes.