KY cooks – Braised Pork Belly with Yam recipe (芋头扣肉)
After cooking regularly for a better part of a year now, I thought it’s about time we try dishes that is a little bit more challenging, and since Haze has a thing for braised pork belly with yam (芋头扣肉), we decided to give it a go.
The following recipe is perhaps the simplest formulation for a good braised pork belly with yam, but that being said, it still requires at least 3-4 hours of cooking time to complete. The result though, if done properly, is a serving of yummy succulent pork with buttery soft yam good enough for 4 person.
braised pork belly slices with yam
The ingredients:
- pork belly – 600 gram
- one small/medium size yam
- 2 tablespoon dark soya sauce
- 6-8 shallots
- half a bulb of garlic
- 2 cubes of namyu (fermented bean curd)
- cooking oil
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice
- pepper to taste
a big slab of pork and yam, enough to feed 4 pax
Cooking method can be divided into 4 major steps, pork preparation, yam preparation, frying, and steaming. Divide and conquer make things easier now isn’t it? 
step 1 – yam preparation:
- cut yam into thick slices (same thickness as pork)
- heat up frying pan with 2 tablespoon of oil, then fry yam for 3-4 minutes
dark soya sauce is used in the second stage of pork preparation
step 2 – pork preparation step:
- boil the whole slab of pork for 10-15 minutes
- remove pork from water, pat dry, then cover the whole slab with dark soya sauce
- heat up frying pan, then fry pork till brown
- remove pork from frying pan and cut in thick slices
shallots, garlic, and namyu to bring out the flavor
step 3 – frying:
- heat up a couple tablespoon of oil
- fry chopped garlic and onion till fragrant
- add pork, yam, and namyu
- add oyster sauce, soya sauce, five spice powder, and sesame oil
- stir fry till even (try not to break the yam, or meat)
finally, arrange pork/yam and steam for 3-4 hours
step 4 – steaming:
- arrange the pork and yam alternately in a bowl (or in this case, a metal plate)
- steam for a minimum of 2-3 hours
And you are done! Do always keep an eye to ensure that your steamer don’t run out of water in the process. If a pressure cooker is used, the steaming process can be cut short considerably (20-30 minutes, I will try this method next time).
Do check out more recipes on this site, and happy cooking!