This is another variation of soy sauce braises (also called red-braises), it is not only one of the most customary Chinese cuisines, but also the most celebrated. My gluten free version is a gradual stew of pork spare ribs and leg pieces with soy sauce, dark/thick soy sauce (kecap manis), pale or medium dry sherry, dry small red chillies and fermented mustard Green.
In my family, like most Malaysian Chinese households, this dish is also one of our home-cooked Chinese dish, normally cooked with leftovers like roasted pork and roasted duck from special occasions like Chinese New Year, weddings and milestone birthdays. These leftover meat are cooked together with pickled/salted mustard green (hum choy) and dried small red chillies, resulting in a very appetising hot and sour dish. Another popular Chinese variation includes using pork belly for soy sauce braises. Fermented or pickled mustard greens are often consumed as a condiment or side dish. They can also be used in soups, stews, stir-fries, and added to rice or noodles.
Both fermented and pickled mustard greens are used regularly in many Asian and Chinese cuisines. It is called “hum choy” in Cantonese and “suan cai” in Mandarin. Homemade varieties of mustard greens are often fermented in salt water giving a sour taste from the lactic acid and has more health benefits due to the presence of natural probiotics from the fermentation process. While commercially available pickled or salted mustard green are normally pickled vegetables preserved in vinegar and salt brine, cooked in high heat and pressure. Resulting in a sweeter taste but has no probiotics benefits required for a healthy gut. I love to make my own home made fermented and pickled vegetables, remember to check out my recipe on how to make fermented mustard green.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and finely minced
- 1 kg skinless and boneless lean pork spare ribs trimmed and roughly cut into 3 cm to 4cm pieces
- 500 g skinless and boneless pork leg trimmed and roughly cut into 3cm pieces
- 350 g fermented mustard green or pickled/salted mustard green hum choy, cut into 2 to 3 inch length (refer relevant recipe)
- 15 dried small red chillies
- 1 ½ cups water
- Steamed rice to serve
For the Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons of gluten free thick soy sauce kecap manis (refer relevant recipe)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons of pale or medium dry sherry
Instructions
- Heat up a wok with 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, stir-fry the garlic on low heat until lightly golden. Add in the all the pork pieces, dried small red chillies plus the sauce and stir-fry for 10 minutes on medium to high heat.
- Then add in 1 ½ cup of water, cover with a wok lid and bring to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down to low and let the pork cook for 1 hour or until pork is soft and tender. Stirring occasionally.
- Once the pork is soft and tender, add in the fermented mustard green and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice.
