猪肉炖粉条豬肉燉粉條
zhū ròu dùn fěn tiáo zyu1 juk6 dan6 fan2 tiu4
Pork belly slow-stewed with cabbage and slippery sweet-potato glass noodles in a deep soy-and-star-anise broth — the dish that says "Dongbei winter" more than any other. Born of the pig-slaughter feasts of the long northern winter, it is the warmest pot on the table.
The story behind it
猪肉炖粉条 belongs to the family of 东北乱炖, the big "everything-stewed-together" pots that suit the region's cold and its farm staples — pork, cabbage and the wide sweet-potato starch noodles (粉条) that store all winter. It is closely tied to 杀猪菜, the dishes made on the day a household slaughtered its pig near the Lunar New Year, when fresh pork was shared with the whole village in one giant stew. The thick 粉条 soak up the rich, fatty broth and become the favourite part, and the dish remains a fixture of home kitchens and 东北菜 restaurants alike.
Ingredients
- 500 g pork belly, cut into bite-size chunks
- 150 g dried sweet-potato glass noodles (粉条), soaked soft
- Half a Chinese cabbage, torn into large pieces
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (mix light and dark), 1 tbsp rice wine
- Aromatics: 3 slices ginger, 2 spring onions, 2 star anise, 2 dried chillies
- 1 tbsp sugar, plus salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Steps
- Soak the dried 粉条 in warm water until pliable but not mushy; set aside.
- Render the pork belly in a little oil until the edges brown, then add sugar and let it lightly caramelise.
- Add ginger, spring onion, star anise, chillies, soy sauce and wine; stir, then pour in hot water to cover.
- Simmer covered for about 40 minutes until the pork is tender, then add the cabbage and cook until it collapses.
- Add the soaked noodles and simmer 8–10 minutes until they turn glassy and soak up the broth; season with salt.
- Serve in a deep bowl with plenty of the rich soup, noodles on top.