Auspicious and Lucky Rolls
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The Chinese New Year festival is coming soon. It's best to make some Auspicious and Delightful Rolls. They have an exquisite and pleasing appearance, and a rich and diverse taste. Although the making steps require careful attention, every step adds to the reunion and fills the family banquet with a taste of happiness.
What are Auspicious and Lucky Rolls?
Auspicious and Lucky Rolls is a dish made by going through several processes such as blanching, boiling in brine, slicing and rolling with pork belly. It is matched with broccoli around it, and finally poured with thick sauce.
The essence of this dish lies in the control of knife skills and heat. When cutting the meat, it should be evenly thick and thin, and it should not be broken when cutting to the heart of the meat, so as to roll out a beautiful scroll shape.
During the cooking process, through multiple procedures such as blanching, stewing and steaming, the meat is made both soft and rotten and kept intact, with the taste penetrating without being greasy.
Auspicious and Lucky Rolls is not only delicious, but more importantly, it embodies peoples longing for a better life. Because of its unique shape and profound meaning, it is often used as the finale dish in important occasions such as wedding banquet, birthday banquet and New Years Eve dinner. It is a delicacy that can not only make people feel the traditional food culture, but also taste the beauty of life.
Required Ingredients and Substitutes
Main Ingredient
Pork Belly: Intermixed with fat and lean, it is the main ingredient of the dish, with mellow taste.
Broccoli: Crisp and tender, matched with pork belly to balance the taste.
Auxiliary Ingredient
White Part of Green Onion: Cut into sections to enhance the aroma and remove the fishy smell, improving the flavor.
Ginger: Removes the fishy smell and enhances the taste, adding a unique fragrance.
Seasoning
Cooking Wine: Removes the fishy smell and greasiness, making the taste of pork belly pure.
Dark Soy Sauce: Adjusts the color and taste, making the dish more flavorful.
Bay Leaf: Adds a unique aroma and enriches the flavor hierarchy.
Whole Nutmeg: Helps enhance the aroma and makes the taste more intense.
Tsao-ko (Black Cardamom): Gives a different fragrance and improves the flavor of the dish.
Star Anise: Brings a mellow anise fragrance and adds a mellow feeling.
Cinnamon Stick: Emits cinnamon fragrance and makes the taste more abundant.
Rock Sugar: Enhances the color and sweetness, making the color more attractive.
Sweet Bean Sauce: Increases the soy sauce aroma and enriches the taste.
Salt: Regulates the degree of saltiness and highlights the original taste of the ingredients.
Oil: Used for blanching to make the broccoli have a good color.
Cornstarch Slurry: Thickens the sauce by drawing out the juice to make the sauce thicker.
Substitutes
Pork Belly: Front Leg Meat can be used as a substitute. The taste is slightly different, but it is also delicious.
Broccoli: Cauliflower can be replaced. The taste is similar and can be used as a substitute.
Bay Leaf: Mint Leaf can be used as a substitute. It brings a fresh flavor and gives a different experience.
Whole Nutmeg: Amomum Villosum can be replaced. The fragrance is different and enriches the taste.
Tsao-ko (Black Cardamom): Angelica Dahurica can be used as a substitute. It has a unique fragrance and can be used for replacement.
Star Anise: Fennel can be replaced. The flavor is different and has a unique style.
Cinnamon Stick: Bay Leaf Cinnamon Stick can be used as a substitute. The fragrance is close and can be replaced.
Rock Sugar: White Sugar can be used as a substitute. The function is similar and used for seasoning.
Sweet Bean Sauce: Doubanjiang (broad bean paste) can be replaced. The soy sauce aroma is different and gives a different flavor.
Cornstarch Slurry: Lotus Root Flour can be used as a substitute. It has a fine texture and can be used for thickening.
Which Part of Pork Belly Should Be Cut into Large Pieces?
The most suitable part of pork belly for cutting into large pieces is the middle part of the three-layer meat. This part of the meat has distinct layers, and the ratio of lean meat to fat is about 4:6. The meat is tender and firm.
When purchasing, pay attention to the fact that the surface of the meat block should have luster, the color should be pink, the fat part should be white, and it should have elasticity when pressed. Such pork belly will not be too dry nor too greasy when cooked. When cutting the block, it is best to keep the size of about 4-5 centimeters on each side, so that it is easier to absorb the taste and heat evenly.
In actual operation, it is recommended to inform the meat seller of the usage, let them pick the appropriate part, and help cut it into evenly sized pieces. If you purchase it in the supermarket, you should choose the three-layer meat with firm texture and no peculiar smell. After bringing it back home, put it in the refrigerator for refrigeration for 15 minutes and then cut it. In this way, it is easier to cut it into neat pieces.
Secrets of Success
Marinating: Don't underestimate this step. Pour cooking wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, minced garlic, and ginger slices all at once on the pork belly pieces, mix them well, and marinate for more than 30 minutes. In this way, the meat will have taste inside and out and can remove a lot of the greasy taste.
Heating Degree: At the beginning, use high heat to cook. Put the meat pieces in the pan and fry them until the surface is golden yellow. Then immediately turn to medium-low heat and stew steadily for 40 to 50 minutes. In this way, the meat will be cooked thoroughly and still maintain its original appearance.
Seasoning: Just before taking the dish out of the pan, dig out a spoonful of oyster sauce to enhance the freshness, and sprinkle some scallions to enhance the fragrance. Don't rush to move the dish out of the pan after taking it out. Let it stand still for 3 to 5 minutes so that the meat can absorb the soup juice. At this time, when you eat it again, the meat will be full of taste and not too salty. It will be tender and juicy. It is guaranteed to be delicious.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·500g pork belly
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·200g broccoli
Additional Ingredients
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·10g green onion (white parts)
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·20g ginger
Seasonings
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·30ml cooking wine
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·30ml dark soy sauce
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·5 bay leaves
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·4 whole nutmegs
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·1 tsao-ko (black cardamom)
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·1 star anise
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·4 cinnamon sticks
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·50g rock sugar
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·10g sweet bean sauce
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·5g salt
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·5ml oil
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·Cornstarch slurry (used for thickening, amount as needed)
COOKING STEP
Step 1
First, cut 500g of pork belly into large pieces and cut 200g of broccoli into florets.
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Step 2
Pour a little more than half a pot of hot water into the pan, put the pork belly into the pan for blanching. When the pork belly changes color, take it out and put it into cold water.
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Step 3
Pour a little more than half a pot of clean water into the pan, put 10g of chopped white part of green onion and 10g of ginger slices in it, pour 30ml of cooking wine and 30ml of dark soy sauce, add 5 bay leaves, 4 whole nutmegs, 1 tsao-ko (black cardamom), 1 star anise, 4 pieces of cinnamon stick, 50g of rock sugar and 10g of sweet bean sauce.
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Step 4
Pour in the pork belly, cover the pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and cook for 40 minutes. After cooking, take out the pork belly and reserve the brine.
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Step 5
Cut the pork belly along the edge of the meat piece, do not cut at the turning point. Cut to the center of the meat. Roll up the cut meat strips and place them in the plate. Pour in the brine when cooking the pork belly, add 10g of ginger slices, and steam in the steamer for 30 minutes.
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Step 6
Pour a little more than half a pot of clean water into the pan. When the water boils, add 5g of salt and 5ml of oil. Put the broccoli into the pan for blanching. Take it out after blanching.
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Step 7
Pour in the remaining brine, add an appropriate amount of cornstarch slurry for thickening, and mix evenly for standby.
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Step 8
Finally, place the meat roll, surround it with broccoli, and then pour the sauce on it. Its done.
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More recipes worth trying
Braised Pork with Bamboo Shoots Recipe
Recipe Variations
Ingredient Replacement:
Try replacing pork belly with beef tendon. Beef tendon is firm and chewy. After boiling in brine, it tastes extremely fragrant. At this time, replace broccoli with carrot. Carrot has a nice color and good nutrition. After making the dish, both the appearance and nutrition of the dish are improved.
Flavor Innovation:
Add 10 grams of satay sauce to the original brine ingredients. It has a salty and fragrant taste with a little sweetness. The taste of pork belly will be more rich and special when eaten. Or replace sweet flour sauce with 20 grams of seafood sauce. The meat roll will have a touch of the freshness of seafood. It's quite novel.
Shape Variation:
Instead of cutting the boiled pork belly into strips and rolling it, directly wrap the whole piece of meat with plastic wrap, put it in the refrigerator to set the shape after refrigeration, and then cut it into thin slices and place them on the plate. The meat roll will be like a delicate small cake, which is neatly arranged layer by layer and looks very attractive. Broccoli can also be pressed into the shape of a flower with a mold and placed around the meat roll. The whole dish will be like a work of art.
Cooking Method Adjustment:
Before steaming the meat roll, use a blowtorch to slightly char the surface of the meat roll. It will have an additional aroma of roasted meat. It tastes delicious. Or replace steaming with frying in an air fryer for 10 minutes. The outer skin will be crispy and the inside will be soft and glutinous. The taste is quite rich and more enjoyable to eat.
Eating Suggestions
Accompaniment with Main Food:
It's quite appropriate to have a bowl of soft white rice. Or have a portion of chewy hand-pulled noodles. Mix the remaining thick sauce on it. It's smooth and chewy. Eating it together with the meat roll and vegetables makes the taste quite rich.
Matching Drinks:
For drinks, a glass of cool Coke or homemade lemonade at home is fine. The bubbles in Coke can wash away the greasiness of the meat roll. Drinking it makes you feel extremely refreshed. The lemonade is sour and refreshing. After eating the rich meat roll and vegetables, taking a sip makes your mouth immediately feel fresh and your appetite comes up.
Eating Order:
Eat a bite of broccoli first to taste the freshness of the vegetable and open up your taste buds. Then pick up a slice of meat roll and savor the flavor of the boiled meat and the mellow taste of the meat. Then eat with the main food. Alternate like this to let the flavors of different ingredients mix in your mouth and fully enjoy the rich taste of this dish.
FAQs:
During the braising process, you can add 10 grams of tangerine peel and 2 pieces of ginger. These ingredients can remove greasiness. At the same time, reduce the rock sugar to 30 grams because sugar will increase the greasy feeling. If you find oil flowers on the surface of the soup during cooking, use a spoon to skim them off.
Finally, when thickening the sauce, you can add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar or lemon juice to the starch sauce. It can not only enhance the freshness but also remove greasiness. In terms of side dishes, you can increase it to 300 grams of broccoli and match it with some light vegetables such as carrots and mushrooms. In this way, it can not only add the taste hierarchy but also neutralize the greasiness of the meat.
During the cooking process, keep the fire low and simmer slowly to let the meat pieces heat evenly, so that the meat texture will be more tender and flavorful. If you find that the soup liquid becomes less, you can add appropriate hot water, but not too much to avoid affecting the concentration of the braising juice.
After the meat is cooked, don't take it out in a hurry. Let the meat soak in the braising juice for 15 to 20 minutes after turning off the fire. This can make the taste and flavor of the meat better. Remember not to cook it with high fire quickly, otherwise it will cause the meat to become tough and the taste will become worse.
You can place the broccoli slightly tilted, with the flower part facing upward and outward. In this way, it can not only highlight the three-dimensional sense of the broccoli but also show the effect of being emerald and dripping.
In order to make the whole more delicate, you can leave some small gaps appropriately between the broccoli in the outermost circle. When pouring the starch sauce in the end, the golden juice will naturally flow into these gaps, forming a plate arrangement effect with distinct layers. It not only highlights the delicacy of the main dish, the meat roll, but also makes the side dish broccoli play a good embellishing role.
When making the starch sauce, you should master the correct proportion of starch water. Generally, one part of starch is matched with two parts of cold water for modulation. The modulated starch water should be added to the pan in 2-3 times, so that it is easier to control the thickness of the starch sauce. When pouring in the starch water, stir it quickly while pouring to avoid forming lumps.
REVIEWS
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