香芋扣肉 Braised Pork Belly (Kou Rou)

[Ho Kwok Leung]

香芋扣肉
简介
扣肉的“扣”字有二义。一是环扣，即将切成片状的肉，一片一片地环扣在大海碗里；二是反扣，即将肉蒸炖成熟以后，反扣在碟上。因此，严格来说，扣，并不是一种烹调方法，而是一种半制成品造型。扣肉是以造型命名的菜肴。关于扣肉，清代末年的《调鼎集》中有记：“肉切大方，皮向上。”


食材：
猪五花肉500克

配料：
荔浦芋头400克，
青菜25克

料头：
蒜蓉4克，
八角末0.5克，
南乳15克

调料：
花生油1500克（耗75克），
精盐2.5克，
糖5克，
老抽25克，
湿生粉25克，
淡二汤/鸡汤/史云生清鸡汤200克

初烹饪方法
1.
将芋头切成长6厘米、宽3.5厘米、厚4厘米的长方块，用火燎去肉皮上的毛，刮洗干净，放入沸水锅中煮至七成软烂时取出，用老抽（10克）涂匀。
2.
将蒜蓉、南乳、精盐、八角末、白糖和老抽(10克)调成料汁。
3.
用中火烧热炒锅，下油烧至八成热，放入芋块，炸至熟后捞起，再放入猪肉炸约3分钟至大红色，倒入笊篱沥去油后用清水冲漂约30分钟，取出切成与芋头同样大小的块。
4.
将肉块放入料汁碗内拌匀，再逐块将皮向下，与芋块相间排在大碗中，上笼。
烹制及装盘
5.
用中火蒸约1小时至软烂取出，复扣在大碟里，周围伴青菜。
6.
用中火烧热炒镬，倒入扣肉的原汁，加淡二汤和老抽(5克)，
用湿淀粉勾稀芡，加油(15克)推匀，淋在扣肉上便成。

技艺要领
选用猪的五花腩肉中段（肥瘦相间），抹老抽后要在猪皮上扎针孔，为的是防止经油炸后，猪皮起泡导致皮肉分离，油温高才能爆起小泡；为防高温的油伤人，要加盖挡护以防止沸油灼伤。取出，先放在二汤罉里微滚，去浮油再漂清水，去清油后，横切成长形片状，用蒜蓉、南乳、精盐、白糖、香料粉、老抽等调成味料拌匀，与炸过的同样大小的香芋块相间而列，排扣在大碗里（皮向下）入蒸笼蒸腍。

风味：腍而不糜，肥而不腻；芋有肉味，肉有芋味，浓郁可口。

**Braised Pork Belly (Kou Rou)**

**Introduction**
The term "扣" (Kou) in "扣肉" (Kou Rou) has two meanings. First, it refers to arranging sliced pork in a circular pattern in a large bowl. Second, it describes flipping the cooked meat onto a plate. Thus, "扣" is not a cooking method but a shaping technique for semi-prepared ingredients. The dish is named after its presentation. The late Qing Dynasty culinary text *Tiaoding Ji* records: "Cut the meat into large squares, skin-side up."

**Ingredients**
- 500g pork belly (with layers of fat and lean meat)

**Accompaniments**
- 400g Lipu taro
- 25g leafy greens (e.g., bok choy)

**Aromatics**
- 4g minced garlic
- 0.5g ground star anise
- 15g fermented red bean curd (nanru)

**Seasonings**
- 1500g peanut oil (75g used for frying)
- 2.5g salt
- 5g sugar
- 25g dark soy sauce
- 25g cornstarch slurry (for thickening)
- 200g light stock (e.g., chicken broth or Swanson® clear chicken broth)

**Initial Preparation**
1. Cut the taro into 6cm x 3.5cm x 4cm blocks. Singe any remaining hairs on the pork skin, scrape clean, and boil in water until 70% tender. Remove and coat with 10g dark soy sauce.
2. Mix minced garlic, fermented bean curd, salt, star anise, sugar, and 10g dark soy sauce into a marinade.
3. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat until 80% hot (approx. 180°C/350°F). Fry taro until cooked, then remove. Fry the pork for 3 minutes until deeply browned. Drain, rinse under cold water for 30 minutes, and slice into taro-sized pieces.
4. Toss pork slices in the marinade. Arrange skin-side down, alternating with taro slices in a large bowl.

**Cooking and Plating**
5. Steam over medium heat for 1 hour until tender. Invert onto a serving plate, surround with blanched greens.
6. Heat the reserved braising liquid in a wok. Add stock and 5g dark soy sauce. Thicken with cornstarch slurry, stir in 15g oil, and pour over the pork.

**Key Techniques**
- Select the middle section of pork belly (even fat-lean layers). Prick the skin after coating with dark soy sauce to prevent blistering during frying.
- Use high heat for frying to achieve crispy skin. Shield the wok with a lid to avoid oil splatter.
- After frying, simmer the pork briefly in stock to degrease, then rinse and slice. Layer with fried taro in a bowl (skin-side down) and steam until tender.

**Flavor Profile**
Tender yet firm, rich but not greasy. The taro absorbs the meat’s savor, while the pork carries the taro’s earthy aroma, creating a harmonious, deeply satisfying dish.