Khau nhuc Lang Son gives pork belly so tender it falls apart, with wrinkled skin and the scent of mac mat all through it. The difficulty is time, since the steaming alone runs 3 to 4 hours.
The skin is pricked all over, rubbed with coarse salt and brushed with vinegar, then left until the surface is dry before frying. It goes into the pan skin side down under a lid and is never turned, and once the skin blisters golden it goes straight into cold water.
This batch weighs about 802g, at roughly 340 calories per 100g.
Method
Choose fresh pork belly with clear layers of lean and fat. Cut it into squares, scrape off any hair, rub it with lime and coarse salt, then rinse and drain.
Put the pork in a pot with water to cover along with ginger, cinnamon, star anise and a little salt, and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until just cooked through.
Prick the skin all over with a bamboo skewer, rub a layer of coarse salt into it, then brush vinegar over the skin. Leave the surface until it is dry.
Heat oil in a deep pan, lay the pork in skin side down, cover the pan and leave it without turning. Once the skin blisters golden, lift it out into cold water, then cut it into 5 to 6 thin slices that stay joined at the lean side. Arrange them in a large bowl with the skin facing down.
Soak 100g tau soi in warm salted water so it swells and loses some salt, squeeze it dry, rinse it several times and cut it into lengths. Crush 25g dried mac mat berries, and soak 5 shiitake mushrooms and 1 piece of wood ear mushroom until soft, then chop them.
Fry shallot and garlic until fragrant, then add the shiitake, wood ear, 50g chao, 25g dam tuong, 25g dried mac mat, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ginger wine, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon honey and 1 teaspoon white pepper, and stir well. Add the tau soi and stir fry until everything comes together.
Spread the filling and sauce over the bowl of pork, smooth it flat, press it down lightly and leave it 30 minutes.
Steam over medium low heat for 3 to 4 hours until the pork falls apart. Pour the sauce off into a pan, simmer it over low heat and stir in a little cornstarch mixed with water to thicken it.
Set a deep plate over the bowl, turn the whole thing over, pour the sauce on top and serve hot.
Tips
Tau soi is very salty, so soaking it in warm salted water, squeezing it dry and rinsing it several times brings the salt right down.
The more evenly the skin is pricked, the better it blisters in the pan and the more seasoning it takes.
Pack the bowl with the skin side down, so it ends up on top and glossy when the dish is turned out.
Honey still counts as sugar, so the measure stays at 1/2 tablespoon and no more.
Keep the pan covered while the skin side fries, which stops the oil spitting.
Dropping the pork into cold water straight after frying is what gives crisp, well wrinkled skin.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.