Amazing Steamed Pork with Rice Flour (Fen Zheng Rou)

Amazing Steamed Pork with Rice Flour (Fen Zheng Rou)

Ingredients

• 600 Pork belly (or pork ribs)
• 1 Sweet potato (or potato)
• 1 Steamed meat rice flour
• Marinade
• 2 Cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
• 2 Light soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1/2 Dark soy sauce
• 1/2 Oyster sauce
• a pinch White pepper powder
• a pinch Chicken bouillon powder
• 1 Pixian doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste)
• 2 Garlic cloves

Instructions

1. Wash the pork belly and cut into slices about 7 cm long (the photo shows half pork belly and half ribs – my family loves both, so I often mix them). Place the meat slices or ribs in a clean container. Add: 2 tbsp cooking wine, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, a pinch of white pepper powder, and chicken bouillon powder. Mix well.
2. Here comes the key step! Heat about the same amount of oil you would use for stir-frying in a pan. Once hot, turn off the heat. Wait for the oil temperature to drop slightly, then add 1 tsp Pixian doubanjiang and minced garlic. Use the residual heat of the oil to fry until fragrant and the red oil is released. Important: Only use 1 tsp of doubanjiang – it is quite salty, so do not add too much!
3. Let the fragrant sauce cool down, then pour it into the container with the meat. Mix well and marinate for about 40 minutes.
4. Pour one package of steamed meat rice flour into the marinated meat and mix well.
5. Rice flour generally has strong water absorption. After mixing, it will absorb all the marinade from the meat. If there is too much marinade, the flour will appear moist, which is just right. Conversely, if there is too little marinade, the flour will be dry – add an appropriate amount of water until the flour becomes moist. Look at the photo above! This color looks appetizing, right? After all the marinade was absorbed by the rice flour, I added 2-3 more tablespoons of water. The rice flour is moist and plump – perfect!
6. This is the five-spice steamed meat rice flour I always use. Whether in terms of coarseness, saltiness, or fragrance, it is impeccable.
7. Another batch photo, also with half meat slices and half ribs. This color is absolutely stunning!
8. Photo of the mixed meat.
9. Line the bottom of a bowl or plate with sweet potato chunks (or potato). Note: Do not cut the potatoes or sweet potatoes too small, or they will become too soft and mushy to pick up after steaming.
10. Place the ribs and meat on top of the sweet potatoes. Do not pack the meat too flat or too tightly – leave space for steam to circulate so it can cook through properly.
11. Steam in a steamer for 90 minutes. If using a regular pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat – same timing. If you are in a hurry, 70 minutes will also work and the meat will be cooked, though the tenderness will be slightly inferior.
12. Sprinkle with chopped scallions! (If making a larger portion, do not reduce the steaming time!)
13. Such an appetizing color!
14. The pork slices are rich but not greasy. The rice flour has absorbed the meat juices, becoming soft, glutinous, and chewy. The ribs are tender and delicious, more fragrant the more you chew. The sweet potatoes are powdery, sweet, and sandy – relieving greasiness while filling you up.
15. Absolutely stunning with every bite! Definitely a showstopper dish for family gatherings and holiday feasts!
16. About the size of the measuring spoons. I use the medium-sized stainless steel spoon in the middle of the photo above. The medium spoon has a large and small spoon on either side for comparison, plus a Japanese wooden spoon and a ceramic spoon.