Classic Culinary Delight: Dongpo Pork

Dongpo pork is an indispensable dish in the long history of Chinese cuisine! It is not only delicious, but also has a long history. Today I will share this legendary recipe with you. Let us walk into the world of Su Dongpo's cuisine together.

What is Dongpo Pork?

Dongpo Pork is made mainly with streaky pork. After being stewed, it is characterized by a smooth and tender texture, bright red color, and it is fatty but not greasy. It is loved by many people and is a treasure of Chinese food culture.

It is said that Dongpo Pork was created by the famous Northern Song poet Su Dongpo (Su Shi). Legend has it that during his tenure as an off icial, Su Dongpo often cooked for the common people himself. And he found that many poor people couldn't afford meat. Therefore, he stewed pork with other seasonings and created this delicious dish. Later, this dish gradually spread and is still an unignorable delicacy today.

Which famous dish is Dongpo Pork?

Dongpo Pork is a traditional famous dish of the Han nationality in the Jiangnan region of China and belongs to Zhejiang cuisine. Zhejiang cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China. In addition to Dongpo Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, Golden Silk Imperial Duck, Longjing Shrimp, Braised Soft-Shelled Turtle with Rock Sugar, and Braised Pork with Dried Vegetables are all representative dishes of Zhejiang cuisine.

Ingredients Needed and Substitutions

The ingredients needed to make delicious Dongpo Pork include:

Main ingredients

Streaky pork ribs: The main ingredient. Streaky pork ribs have alternating layers of fat and lean meat, providing a smooth texture.

Side ingredients

Shanghai bok choy: Rich in a large amount of dietary fiber, adding color and providing nutrition to the recipe.

Scallions, ginger: These two have a special aroma and can enhance the flavor of the dish.

Seasonings

White granulated sugar, salt: Provide sweetness and saltiness and can enhance the color of the dish.

Cooking wine: It functions to remove fishy smell and enhance fragrance, helping to improve the taste.

Soy sauce: Adds salty and fresh flavors and color to the dish.

Substitutions

Streaky pork ribs: Can be replaced by pork tenderloin.

Shanghai bok choy: Can be replaced by vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage.

Scallions: Can be replaced by green onions.

White granulated sugar: Can be replaced by brown sugar.

Cooking wine: Can be replaced by wine, yellow rice wine, or white liquor.

Soy sauce: Can be replaced by light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, or black bean sauce.

Tips for choosing streaky pork:

In China, streaky pork is also called streaky pork ribs. When choosing streaky pork, pay attention to the following points:

For making Dongpo Pork, choose streaky pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and a uniform proportion. Dongpo Pork made from streaky pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat is not greasy and not dry when eaten.

Secondly, when choosing streaky pork, choose one that is elastic. Because good streaky pork has firm and elastic meat. You can judge by pinching and pressing. Usually, if the streaky pork can quickly return to its original shape after being pressed and the surface of the pigskin is delicate, not too dry or too oily, then this piece of streaky pork is fresh. If the streaky pork has no elasticity when pressed and is loose and powerless, don't choose it.

When choosing streaky pork, you can also judge by color. Choose one with a bright red and shiny color. Only such streaky pork is fresh. If the color of the streaky pork is too pale, dark red, or too bright (it may be artificially processed), then don't buy it.

Finally, you can judge whether the streaky pork is fresh and normal by its smell. Good-quality streaky pork should have a faint meaty fragrance and no fishy smell. If you find that the streaky pork has a fishy smell or other strange odors, then don't choose it.

Tips for Success

Ingredient selection and treatment: For a perfect Dongpo Pork, the choice of streaky pork is very important. Choose one with alternating layers of fat and lean meat so that it is soft and glutinous and not greasy. When cutting the streaky pork into pieces, the size should be moderate. Cut it into about 3-centimeter cubes. And then, blanching is a must. Blanching can help remove the blood and fishy smell of the streaky pork.

Mastering the heat: Many people can't control the heat when stewing Dongpo Pork. It is recommended to boil the meat for 10 minutes over medium-low heat first, and then turn to low heat for slow stewing until it is soft and flavorful. The stewing time for Dongpo Pork is generally 1.5 to 2 hours. The actual time depends on the size of the meat pieces.

Seasoning combination: To make Dongpo Pork taste good, seasoning is very important. Add white granulated sugar, salt, cooking wine, and soy sauce in proportion. Neither too much nor too little.

Flipping and thickening the sauce: In actual production, after stewing for about 1 hour, you can gently flip the meat pieces to make them heated more evenly. At the end of stewing, thicken the sauce to make it more concentrated and the sauce attached to the meat pieces will be richer and the taste will be better.