Fried Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly

南乳炸猪肉

This dish goes by a few names - nam yue (red fermented beancurd) pork, Hakka Zhar Yoke, Hakka Char Yoke. It originates from Hakka cuisine. The distinctive taste of fermented red beancurd gives the pork belly a very nice fragrance. Instead of slicing the pork belly into small pieces and frying them, I prefer to fry the pork belly slab and then slice them. I referred to ieatishootipost recipe but made slight changes.

Ingredients (serves 4 pax)

500g pork belly (skin removed and cut into 1.5cm thick slabs)

Marinade:

40g nam yue 

1/2 tsp five-spice powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced/grated garlic

1/2 egg

1 tablespoon Chinese wine

Batter

2 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoon rice flour

1 tablespoon corn flour

or

4 tablespoon corn flour

Method

1. Prepare the marinade and add to pork belly. Marinade for at least 3 hours.

2. Prepare the batter. Take each slab of pork belly and coat it with the flour batter. Set aside the pork belly slabs for 30minutes for the flour to absorb the marinade.

3. Heat up wok with sufficient oil. Fry the pork belly slabs until light golden in colour. Then turn up the heat and fry a second time for less than a minute to crisp up the pork belly before slicing.