Hakka communities (Meizhou, Guangdong) — mei cai kou rou is now eaten across China; one of the most beloved of all Hakka dishes
Mei cai kou rou: Hakka-origin pork belly steamed or braised with mei cai (preserved mustard greens) — one of China's great comfort foods. The mei cai is the defining ingredient — dried, salted mustard greens with concentrated savoury depth and umami. Pork belly slices are layered skin-side down over a bed of softened mei cai, then steamed for 2 hours until meltingly tender.
Rich braised pork fat, deeply savoury dried vegetable, slow-cooked comfort — a Hakka dish known across all of China
{"Mei cai must be thoroughly soaked to remove excess salt and rehydrate","Pork belly blanched first, then fried skin-side down until golden before steaming","Invert the dish after steaming — the pork becomes the base with the mei cai on top","Steam minimum 2 hours — the steam converts collagen to gelatin"}
{"The fat from pork belly drips into the mei cai during steaming — creating the most flavoursome layer","This dish actually improves made a day ahead and resteamed — flavours integrate further","Serve inverted on a plate — the layered presentation is the traditional way"}
{"Insufficient mei cai soaking — stays too salty","Not frying the skin before steaming — loses the characteristic colour and texture","Short steaming — pork remains firm rather than collapsing into tenderness"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop