Happy (Chinese) New Year! Pork

Belly

(4-6 servings)

Ingredients

Blanching step:

1 1/2 pounds pork belly

2-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing)

Cooking step: Butcher string

1 bunch cilantro hinese New Year always takes place on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese lunar calendar starts the first day following the first new moon between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. In 2023, the Chinese New Year celebration started on Jan. 22 and ended on Feb. 5.

It is the most important holiday in China. In fact, it causes the largest human migration in the world every year as families gather to celebrate. It is also known as the Spring Festival. While still wintery, the holiday does mark the end of the coldest days. The Spring Festival is a lengthy celebration and there are specific traditions and activities for each day. Most importantly, it is a time for family to gather and celebrate. New Year’s Eve is celebrated with what is known as the reunion dinner. It is the most important meal of the year! New Year’s Day is celebrated with firecrackers and leftovers from the night before. The firecrackers are thought to scare off monsters and bad luck based on the legend of a boy who was brave enough to fight off the monster Nina that would visit every New Year’s Eve. For extra good measure, it is forbidden to shower, sweep or clean on this day so that good fortune is not swept away.

Spring Festival traditions include visits to the in-laws on the second day, welcoming the god in by opening the windows at midnight and eating and drinking until daybreak on the fourth day - and, of course, the beautiful Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, goes outside onto the streets to celebrate. Activities include moon gazing, lighting lanterns and lion dances. It’s a chance for everyone to stroll freely and interact. Therefore, this day is often considered the true Chinese Valentine’s Day. That joyous interaction along with all the red-colored Chinese New Year decorations and the exchange of red envelopes containing gifts surely is a Valentine’s Day equivalent!

Today’s recipe celebrates the reunion of families, the celebration of good fortune and the romance of Valentines all in one! The recipe calls for Shaoxing, which is a Chinese cooking wine available at most grocers. However, you can easily substitute a dry sherry for it. Chances are you will have more uses for the sherry in the future. When stopping in at Hurricane Liquors or LBK Liquors for that sherry, why not pick up a special bottle of wine or two that will complement this pork belly recipe. Pork belly has a high fat content so you’ll want to pair it with a medium-bodied wine with high acidity. Personally, I would go with a chenin blanc or Vouvray, as they are naturally high in acidity with tropical aromas of pineapple and mango and a citrusy taste. A Vouvray is a wine from the Vouvray region in the Loire Valley in France where the main grape variety grown is chenin blanc. While we would normally suggest a dry wine, the sauce in this recipe has some sugar to it, so you may be able to get away with a slightly sweeter chenin blanc that suits your palate. If you plan on enjoying this recipe on Valentine’s Day, you may be more inclined to pair a red wine with it. In that case, we recommend you choose a medium-bodied Tempranillo. They tend to be tannic and fruity with good acidity. Come see us and we will be glad to help you out. Happy Valentine’s Day!

2-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 cup white rice wine (Mirin)

4 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing)

11/2 cup light soy sauce

4 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 star anise

Directions

Add water to a large stock pot. Place pork belly into pot, skin side down. Add sliced ginger and Chinese cooking wine. Bring to a boil and leave at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove the pork belly and allow to cool. Once cooled, under running water wash the pork belly and remove any remaining hairs. Cut pork belly into desired portion size. Using butcher string, tie each pork belly piece to hold it together. Reserve some cilantro for garnish and place the remainder of the bunch in the bottom of a large stock pot. The cilantro will help prevent the pork belly from sticking to the pot. Carefully place the pork belly skin side down into the pot. Add all remaining ingredients to the pot. Fill with water until the pork belly pieces are just covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for approximately two hours, checking occasionally that there is liquid remaining in the pot so the pork belly doesn’t burn. Add more water if necessary. Remove the lid, bring to a gentle boil to reduce the liquid remaining in the pot. The sauce will be the correct consistency when the sauce coats the back of a metal spoon dipped in the sauce. Once the sauce is at the desired consistency, remove and plate pork belly pieces and spoon sauce over top of pork belly. Top with fresh cilantro and serve at once.

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