五花肉不再红烧了，加2个杏鲍菇，不加水不加油，上桌瞬间被扫光

Quick Overview

The recipe creates tender, flavorful pork belly (Wuhua Rou) braised with king oyster mushrooms (Xing Bao Gu) using a no-water, no-added-oil method after initial searing and blanching, resulting in meat that is rich in flavor but not greasy.

Key Points: The initial step involves searing the skin side of the pork belly in a dry, hot pan to remove hair and pork odor. The pork belly is then blanched in cold water with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to remove impurities. After blanching, the pork is cut into 0.5 cm thick slices and then pan-fried over medium heat until both sides are golden brown, rendering out excess fat. King oyster mushrooms are prepared by slicing them about 1 cm thick and scoring them in a grid pattern (without cutting through) to better absorb flavor. The aromatics (scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chilies, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves) are stir-fried in the rendered pork fat until fragrant. The seared pork belly and scored mushrooms are added to the aromatics in a clay pot, seasoned with light soy sauce, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, rock sugar, and enough cooking wine to cover the pork. The dish is cooked by bringing it to a boil over high heat, then simmering on low heat for 40 minutes, followed by 5 more minutes on high heat uncovered to reduce the sauce, finishing with chopped scallions.

Context: This video tutorial, presented by 'Xiao Qiao Mei Shi' (Little Grain Delicacy), details a specific method for preparing braised pork belly (Wuhua Rou) where the key innovation is the addition of king oyster mushrooms (Xing Bao Gu) and a unique cooking technique that skips adding external water or oil during the main braising phase.

Detailed Analysis

The cooking process begins by preparing the pork belly: first, the skin side is placed in a dry, hot pan to scorch off any remaining hair and remove the raw pork smell (0:04-0:18). Next, the pork is blanched in cold water with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to clean it thoroughly (0:31-0:43). After blanching, the pork is cut into approximately 0.5 cm thick pieces (0:24-0:28). The king oyster mushrooms are prepared by slicing them about 1 cm thick and scoring one side in a crisscross pattern without cutting all the way through, which helps them absorb flavor (0:57-1:16). The pieces of pork belly are then pan-fried over medium heat without added oil until both sides are golden brown, which renders out a significant amount of fat (1:39-1:56). This rendered fat is mostly drained, leaving just a little base oil (2:08-2:11). The reserved aromatics—sliced ginger, whole garlic cloves, chopped scallions, dried chilies, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves—are stir-fried in this oil until fragrant (2:13-2:17), then transferred to a clay pot (2:19-2:22). The seared pork belly and scored mushrooms are added to the pot (2:25-2:30). Seasoning includes one large spoon of light soy sauce, one large spoon of cooking wine, one small spoon of dark soy sauce, rock sugar, and finally, enough cooking wine to just cover the pork belly (2:31-2:49). The dish is brought to a boil over high heat, then covered and simmered on low heat for 40 minutes (2:50-2:54). Finally, the lid is removed, the sauce is reduced for another five minutes over high heat (3:00-3:03), and the dish is garnished with chopped scallions before serving (3:03-3:07). The result is pork belly that is fatty yet not greasy, and the mushrooms are deeply flavorful, making the dish appealing to all ages.