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
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
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
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
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
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!

KY cooks – Braised Pork Belly with Yam recipe (芋头扣肉)
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44 thoughts on “KY cooks – Braised Pork Belly with Yam recipe (芋头扣肉)

  • March 27, 2012 at 4:13 pm
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    This definitely need hard work as my mom not willing to cook it for me although I begged her so many times 😥

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    • March 27, 2012 at 4:17 pm
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      Choi Yen: so now you cook it instead!

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  • March 27, 2012 at 5:35 pm
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    was it my imagination or could i actually smell the savory aroma of this recipe rising from the photos on my computer screen? 😀

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    • March 27, 2012 at 6:02 pm
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      Sean: hahaha thank you for the vote of confidence.

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  • March 27, 2012 at 6:07 pm
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    One of my mom and grandma’s favourite recipe. Not really a big fan..but the ones that they do make is pretty good. I think it’s a Hakka dish right?

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    • March 27, 2012 at 6:13 pm
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      JD: I believe it’s hakka dish, i’m not very familiar with the dish until after having moved to KL too.

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  • March 27, 2012 at 11:51 pm
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    Yes to yam.
    No to preserved vegetables (version)!

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    • March 28, 2012 at 12:40 am
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      Suertes: I actually liked that version more. hahaha

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  • March 28, 2012 at 5:24 am
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    Exactly how my maternal grandma cooks it! 😀

    I kinda prefer my paternal grandma’s cooking (without the yam) – but this looks good though.

    I’m with Suertes though, have always preferred regular ones to preserved veggies. 🙂

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    • March 28, 2012 at 8:39 am
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      Huai Bin: to me it’s never the yam or preserved veggies, but the succulent fatty pork… ahh. 😀

      Reply
  • March 28, 2012 at 5:34 am
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    i remember cooking pork belly with yam and pork belly with mui choy. two of the best dishes, according to my sis, i’ve made, but also two of the most technical/difficult dishes ever.

    i’ve made it three times for each and decided not to make it again unless, it’s a special occasion. too darn difficult but really worth it. i’m sure the experience is wonderful for you too!

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    • March 28, 2012 at 8:39 am
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      Michelle: hahah yah takes almost half a day to get it right.

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  • March 28, 2012 at 5:53 am
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    now to buy a bloody steamer so i can try this at home..

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    • March 28, 2012 at 8:40 am
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      lotsofcravings: that would be loads more convenient, I used a wok and had to monitor water level for darn long

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  • March 28, 2012 at 8:17 am
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    good job, KY…i will try it by this comin Sunday, hope my hubby like it much much…. 😉

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    • March 28, 2012 at 8:40 am
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      ccsoh: best of luck to your endeavor!

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  • March 28, 2012 at 9:29 am
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    Must put chinese cooking wine then nicer.

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    • March 28, 2012 at 10:42 am
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      JC: after steaming for that long, any taste of chinese wine will be gone tho. lol

      Reply
  • March 28, 2012 at 4:30 pm
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    Here we go again.. WHEN u inviting me for dinner! hahaha

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    • March 29, 2012 at 9:18 am
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      ciki: WHEN ARE YOU FREE!? cisss

      Reply
  • March 28, 2012 at 5:34 pm
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    I reckon this recipe looks or seems like Philippine’s famous “Adobo”. While instead of using yam, they have potato.

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  • March 28, 2012 at 9:13 pm
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    i like this dish & quite enjoy the can version. now that u have this recipe, might have to try it

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  • March 29, 2012 at 9:12 am
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    wah this is really challenging. don’t think i’ll ever try it. Good on you!

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    • March 29, 2012 at 10:05 am
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      eiling: come on now datin! get your hands dirty at kitchen maaa

      Reply
  • March 29, 2012 at 1:17 pm
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    investing a pressure cooker for such stewing would be the best thing ever! yummy, my son likes this dish a lot

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    • March 29, 2012 at 2:06 pm
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      babe_kl: i actually have a pressure cooker and just forgot about using it this round. lol.

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  • April 13, 2012 at 7:59 am
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    last weekend i just tried to cook, the taste quite good, but gotta steam for 3 hours, abit long time ya

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    • April 13, 2012 at 3:52 pm
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      ccsoh: yaa, much faster if you use a pressure cooker, i wanna try that too

      Reply
    • April 16, 2012 at 4:35 pm
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      ShoalinTiger: cos the plugin is crap, time to update.

      Reply
  • September 23, 2013 at 11:52 am
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    Hi ky! what brand of nam yu is good? TIA

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    • September 23, 2013 at 2:26 pm
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      anon: You got me on this one, I actually have no idea what brand is superior, I usually just buy the most “common” brand on the shelve

      Reply
  • November 6, 2013 at 1:18 am
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    i bet you do the wrong way. your recipe is correct but the preparation is quite different from the Haka style.

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    • November 6, 2013 at 2:34 pm
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      Edward: ah, thank you for the pointer.

      Reply
  • January 30, 2015 at 12:18 pm
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    I watched my wife make this it took her all day and part of the night before. She prepared the YAMs to soften by soaking them in warm water prior to cooking…I think your snaps missed that step… but so sedap! 😛

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    • February 1, 2015 at 6:00 pm
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      David: haha yah, that’s why my version wasn’t very good.

      Reply
  • March 5, 2016 at 10:15 pm
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    I am very pleased with your recipe for Ginger Wine Chicken – so simple/straighforward and it turned out delicious! Will be trying another of your recipes soon. Thanks for sharing.

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    • March 7, 2016 at 8:35 am
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      Suzee: glad to know that!

      Reply
  • June 22, 2018 at 12:18 am
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    Hi.!It loooks really yummy,I was wondering how would you use the pressure cooker for the streaming process

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    • June 26, 2018 at 2:10 pm
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      June: you prop the ingredients up and have water underneath.

      Reply

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