‘Mui choy chee yoke’. — JOANNE TEO
My husband’s aunt would often cook mui choy chee yoke (preserved vegetables with pork belly) for us whenever we went over to her house for dinner, and it was always a big hit. Being the Hokkien side of the family, that aunt is a great cook and she taught me this recipe, knowing that my husband enjoyed it.
Certain things to note while making this: for the perfect balance of sweet and salty, you must use two different types of preserved vegetables (mustard greens). Ensure that when you get this from the grocer, you check what is written on the packet, whether it is sweet or salted.
Also, it is important to boil the vegetables briefly, otherwise the preserved vegetables will be too salty. Ideally, you should soak them for a couple of hours before cooking but since I am often short on time, I usually give it a quick boil instead. And while for most Chinese dishes it is possible to swap the pork with chicken, it is recommended that you stick to pork belly for this as the fat will enhance the overall mouthfeel and make it more flavourful.
I learnt how to make this dish during the early years of my marriage, and every now and then I still cook this as it’s great with rice or porridge, and a comforting dish that can keep quite well in the fridge. — Contributed by JOANNE TEO/kebayakitchen.com
INGREDIENTS
250g preserved vegetable – sweet
250g preserved vegetable – salty
250g pork belly (without skin)
3 small red onions, sliced thinly
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
500ml water
METHOD
1. Clean the preserved vegetables thoroughly to remove excess salt and sugar, otherwise you’ll be reeling from the saltiness. Boil the vegetables for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, remove from water and wash thoroughly.
2. Cut vegetables into 1cm pieces and set aside.
Cut the pork belly into small cubes. — Filepic
3. Cut pork belly into cubes and blanch briefly for a few minutes in hot water to remove the scum. Set aside after draining.
4. In a medium-sized pot, fry the onion in oil. Then, add the pork and continue frying for a minute or two.
5. Add the soy sauce and fry until fragrant.
6. Add in cut preserved vegetables and enough water to cover the contents of the pot.
7. Boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add the dark soy sauce and boil for at least 1 hour until the meat is tender and the vegetables are soft.
8. When done, dish into a deep plate and serve hot together with white rice or porridge.
