Simplified Recipe: Chinese Pork Belly w/ Preserved Vegetables (Mei Cai) 梅菜扣肉 Mui Choy Pork

Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables aka Mei Cai Kou Rou in Chinese / Mui Choy Kau Yuk in Cantonese is a notable dish in Hakka cuisine. According to wikipedia, Hakkas are Han Chinese people whose ancestral homes are mainly in the hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang, Hainan and Guizhou. My grandparents were from Meixian formerly known as Meihsien, a district of Meizhou City, in northeastern Guangdong Province, China. What about yours?
Refer to the ingredient list below or go to our website here
spicenpans.com/pork-belly-pres... for your easy reference.
We would like to give special thanks to La Gourmet & Greenpan for letting us try out their high quality wok & pans in the video. If you like to buy them, you can go to any of the major departmental stores in Singapore such as Isetan, Robinsons, Takashimaya, BHG, OG, Metro or Tangs.
Hope you can recreate this yummy dish in the comfort of your home. Thanks for dropping by our channel.
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Jamie
on behalf of Spice N’ Pans
Ingredients:
Serves 6 - 8 pax
Ingredients for pork belly blanching step
====
420g of pork belly
1 thumb size ginger - sliced
1 teaspoon of white peppercorn
1.5 teaspoons of salt
1 piece of cinnamon bark
1 piece of bay
2 pieces of star anise
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
Marinade ingredients
====
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of low sodium light soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing Huatiao wine)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 cup of water
Other ingredients
====
3 - 4 cloves of garlic
300g of mei cai / preserved vegetables
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce (to marinate cooked pork)
Cornstarch solution (as sauce thickener)
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Looking for some of the things or ingredients we used in this video but not residing in Singapore? We welcome you for a vacation in Singapore or simply click one of these links to see similar or substitute products on Amazon. Happy shopping!
Granite Wok Pan: amzn.to/2yblXGJ
Cooking oil: amzn.to/2JPC8uN
Cast Iron Wok: amzn.to/2MvAssa
Oyster Sauce: amzn.to/2sZ8FIj
Peanut oil: amzn.to/2NJcjPi
Dark soy sauce: amzn.to/2NHD9XY
Cinnamon bark: amzn.to/2KTxws0
White peppercorn: amzn.to/2utv4gM
Cloves: amzn.to/2NJiXoI
Bay leaf: amzn.to/2KNIr6u
Star anise: amzn.to/2ufrasw
Light soy sauce: amzn.to/2KOU90F
Sesame Oil: amzn.to/2takLOa
Shaoxing wine aka Chinese cooking wine: amzn.to/2JNa4rS
Preserved Veg (Mei Cai) amzn.to/2KoGZCK
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Disclaimer:
Spice N' Pans is not related to these products and cannot guarantee the quality of the products in the links provided. Links are provided here for your convenience. We can only stand by the brands of the products we used in the video and we highly recommend you to buy them. Even then, preference can be subjective. Please buy at your own risk. Some of the links provided here may be affiliated. These links are important as they help to fund this channel so that we can continue to give you more recipes. Cheers!

[@chinfelicia6658]

As like u said no skill required i've tried this recipe afew times and complimented

[@spicenpans]

Woohooz. Glad to hear that, Felicia. 👍👍👍 success!!

[@calderonjd30]

Really!? I want to make this soooo bad!

[@wisewijaya504]

@@calderonjd30 ll

[@meenmo]

Thanks, for sharing this recipe!! It brings me fond memories of my maternal grandmother who used to make this dish.

[@spicenpans]

You are most welcome, Mandy.

[@bulaklakgeorfo7390]

your subscriber here in Hongkong. Thanks for sharing this, i want to.cook.this now for my employer.

[@ToniWongCIM]

Just made this tonight and followed the full recipe. Tastes lovely. Reminds me of Canton home cooked dinner!

[@rosej1151]

I'm not into dried salted veggies for cooking. But Thanks for this recipe!! I've cooked this for my lunch menu today for the very 1st time ever and this recipe is actually super nice! My family finished it all!! Thanks to you🙏

[@grace9404]

Thank you for this lovely, scrumptious recipe. Made it today for my family I must say it’s better than the restaurant’s. Nothing like home cooking. Hi Coco, the little cute one!!

[@spicenpans]

Glad that you enjoyed it 🤓🤓🤓🤓

[@hammothw4814]

this dish is top 3 dishes of Chinese cuisine that I've tried, probably #1

[@julietong1418]

Roland, you have done it again. A very methodical presentation and your step-by-step illustration makes this dish something not too difficult to try at home. Just hope I can find the correct brand of Mui Choy here in Singapore

[@spicenpans]

Thank you sooo much for your kind words Juliet. Happy cooking!

[@0134harley]

Thank you Roland , i am a fan of Spice n Pans , and this is my very first time cooking this recipe, I follow your exactly step by step , and I couldn’t believe myself too , this recipe is so yummy 🤤, just like my mom used to cook when i was a little, thanks for teaching is a great cook , love you Soice n Pans🙏😍👍

[@thanksgodblessyoualwayssoo8753]

I love your Coco and the birds.

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much, TGBYAS :))) We love them too. They're adorable!

[@jonaniniel7633]

My employer loved this dish so much when I made it.Thank you😍

[@spicenpans]

You’re most welcome! Thank you so much for using our recipe 🙏🙏 Glad to know that your employer enjoyed this recipe. Yay! Well done to you too! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 high five 🖐🏻🖐🏻🖐🏻

[@xiaolehuang7036]

So nice & yummy looking, tks for sharing. Can u kindly advise which dark soy sauce that is not too salty?

[@chowpie2746]

Thank you for sharing im gonna try this type of cooking..

[@spicenpans]

Happy cooking!!

[@georgecalvintharcisius586]

I see a beautiful Puppy..♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@erensianabili5460]

That's very interesting. Thanks for ur recipe

[@spicenpans]

You’re most welcome. Thank you so much too 🙏

[@melodywu5208]

My favorite childhood dish! Thank you for your channel!

[@spicenpans]

You’re most welcome, Melody! Happy cooking 🤓

[@jennystreak2450]

Thank you comrade Coco.

[@riffmeisterkl]

Thank you for sharing this. I will try. Cheers from Australia!

[@michelleaw8530]

Haha I love your dog and blue budgie. Thanks for sharing this dish 👏

[@bethM605]

oh my that puppy is cute..😍

[@estherho355]

Thanks for doing great video. What is d measurement for a thick cornstarch solution?

[@michellealvisse989]

That looks tasty !Thank you for sharing this yummy dish 👌👍👍

[@spicenpans]

You’re most welcome 😊😊

[@irisho2744]

The doggy is so cute.

[@spicenpans]

Hehe thank you so much Iris.

[@gumihou7802]

I love this preserved vegetable

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much. Happy cooking

[@canadian4oodie115]

Can you please teach us how to make the Hakka preserved vegetables. It’s my favourite and full of nutrition and flavour. Thank you.

[@nawsiphawra1753]

I really like it. Thank you so much 😊

[@margaretkohsamy3404]

I‘ve cooked this so yummy. The only think l’ve done wrong was a it dry not enough gravy. But it taste good too. Thanks for your sharing and guidance.🌹👍

[@yalaen34]

Love this dish ... Mei cia .. would u be able Showtime the pack cause I know salt veg but not Mei cia

[@juanitabilog7516]

Fantastic,, gonna try

[@TuNguyen-my2xd]

Your little dog 🐶 is cute 😊.

[@mayrindayani6723]

Going to try it tomorrow

[@spicenpans]

Hope you enjoyed it, May :)) Thanks so much for using our recipe :))

[@lydiaturner1674]

Such a cute dog!

[@crystalhuynh9482]

Yummy yummy Thank you!

[@spicenpans]

Thank you too 🙏🙏🙏

[@jordancecilia5117]

This is good 👍👍.. makes me hungry 🤗

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much, Merina🤓🤓

[@ariyaniputri9603]

I just try to cook this recipe..... Amazing.... My boss like it... Thank you..

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much for using our recipe, Ariyani!!

[@max77745]

It must be so delicious that's why that furry four legged family member has circled around. So cute.

[@spicenpans]

Hehe. Our dogs are really really greedy 🤓🤓

[@max77745]

@@spicenpans not greedy just being dogs. They r so adorable ❤️😍😍 😍❤️

[@pllin240]

thank you 🙏🏻 👍🏻

[@dorisgoh1032]

Hi Roland, please advise if you use the salty type of mei cai or the sweet type for this dish?

[@flowerlane3520]

Instead I'm looking the pork you transfer to a bowl..my attention goes to the dog so cute hahaha

[@sabrinambabe5181]

Love this dish, ate it a lot when I lived in Beijing 🤤

[@bloodyrael1580]

I followed your recipe to the letter- until the steaming part- I don’t have anything set up big enough to steam something to keep the marinade in. So after the marinade time I put the pork slices skin side down in an oven proof dish and covered with the marinade and tightly wrap with foil and baked for about 2 hrs, turning occasionally but mostly keep skin side down. I also added some fresh thick orange peel to the dish while it baked- sooooo juicy, melty and yummy!!!

[@imeldapakingan601]

thanks for sharing

[@urbaniteurbanizer1612]

I'm going to make this with just the pork belly as I don't care much for the preserved vegetables. Wish me luck!

[@spicenpans]

Sorry for our late reply. Opps hope this is not too late. Good luck! You might wanna consider using this recipe too kzbin.info/www/bejne/bH62ommeq8qgnKM you can use pork belly to replace pork leg. Happy cooking, Urbanite Urbanizer 👍🏻👍🏻🤓

[@lalasmith1956]

yummy

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much lala coralde :-)

[@paulineneo1546]

You are my inspiration for preparing dinner for my family. Your videos are easy to follow. :-)

[@spicenpans]

Thank you sooo much for your kind words. 🙏🙏🙏

[@rosietan1]

This is one of my fav dish, but my hubby prefers yam instead of mei cai. Can you share the recipe using yam please? Thank you in advanced 😊

[@angelinetoh4391]

it's my favourite dish! but now only I know it takes some time to prepare this dish after seeing your video

[@spicenpans]

Happy cooking, Angeline 👍🏻😋

[@raymullen-ku1yn]

CoCo is waiting for any Drops. Pretty Girl ..And great Dinner .. Thanks Chef.

[@goregore5421]

Sir..u using salty mei cai..or the sweet mei cai

[@wallclock4946]

Ta lu cu nyiuk lok sui ham choi 😋

[@LABUSTO]

Coco is sweet... Very patient.

[@spicenpans]

Hehe she’s afraid of heights. That helps. Normally she’s very mischievous 🤣🤣 thanks so much for watching our video, Labusto 🙏🙏🙏

[@ivyng4226]

I like spices n pan video

[@spicenpans]

Awww thank you so so much!!!

[@erikagroote6205]

delicious. .. we don't have preserved vegetables here though.

[@spicenpans]

Amazon sells them 😃😃 really A to Z ☺️☺️☺️

[@AstridBerbagi11]

Thank You 🙏🌹🌹

[@alexsanderawal5446]

Umami..😘😘

[@max77745]

My fave. Even I can smell n taste it from here.

[@spicenpans]

Hehe thanks Selina!

[@cheryltan1354]

do you think this freezes nicely for batch cooking purposes?

[@komiemark8723]

Nice video..

[@theaznbob]

I put it in a clay pot and covered the lid, then put that into a steamer. Is covering the clay pot a mistake? I just tasted the meat and it was still solid after 2 hours.

[@dieutemple3376]

Yummy tummy ❤️❤️❤️. Thansk

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much too, Dieu Temple :))) Have a great Sunday!

[@esdalim15]

Hi, using salted or sweet mui choy? Thanks 🙏🏻

[@christinewong7842]

Could you advice the cornstarch solution proportions? TIA!

[@private-room121]

Hi koko...soo cute and adorable😍😍😍❤

[@spicenpans]

Hehe thank you. She’s our little monster

[@kennyrogers803]

Mmmmmm.. Pork belly taste soo good!! That taste soo chewy and tender pork!! With cooked rice taste great!! Great dish! See u anytime!!

[@spicenpans]

Good morning bro! Have a wonderful weekend!

[@kennyrogers803]

Spice N' Pans Good morning!! Have a wonderful day to u too!!

[@rtheace]

Hohohohohhohoho niiccceee gonna make it.

[@Rebecca-dm5ul]

Lordy. Recreated your duck recipe. Amazing. The pork belly and preserved vegetables looks delicious. Question, where would I find preserved vegetables? Are they frozen? Have you tried arrow root as a thickener yet btw?

[@spicenpans]

Glad you enjoyed our duck recipe 👍🏻👍🏻 the preserved veg are dried. Not frozen. I found them sold on amazon too. I’ve shared the link in our video description box. You can take a look. Yes you can use arrow root to thicken. No problem.

[@dyananjani5535]

Hii puppy 😍😍😍 Its So Cutee So Adorable .. Just Like My Yorkshire Terries (Jake)n Shih Tzu Puppy (Rosie (😍 Pardon Me Sir This Food Can I Simmer Than Steaming ?? Thanks For You Feedback 😀

[@spicenpans]

Oh we love Yorkshire terrier. Hi Jake & Rosie! 👋👋👋 yes you can simmer them instead if you don’t mind the presentation of the dish. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@CKH479]

Chef yummy.yummy

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much Kok Hui 🙏🙏🙏

[@aa990998]

Coco so so cute 🥰

[@adelynquek6079]

Can we pan fry or air fry the pork belly after we coat the premium dark sauce?

[@tempestv8]

I pan fried in hot oil after the dark soy but before slicing the slab. Be aware, the oil splatter was incredible. The entire stove area needed a soapy wipe down to get rid of all the oil splatter. Only the very dedicated will do this at home! :-)

[@jorensleong4202]

Haloo Roland, any plans dishing up some recipes from Amoy, my family's long lost ancestors were from that province.

[@spicenpans]

Hello Xiamen Jorrel. 👋👋 we can try but first we gotta plan a trip there. A lot of our dishes are Hokkien influenced liao do you have any particular dish in mind?

[@jorensleong4202]

Maybe their vegetarian style seafood soup with sour veggies might do

[@spicenpans]

okie! let me discuss with Roland and see what we can do. Thanks for requesting :)

[@rp17rionda]

The dog😍

[@conquistadortl9892]

Can i marinate the pork with 1/2 tbsp of potato starch b4 put into steam ?

[@spicenpans]

Sure no problem 👍🏻👍🏻

[@taurusflores1255]

Hello spice n pans who s that cute in d background❤❤❤❤😂

[@myrnahigino2583]

Sir how did you preserve the vegetable if I may ask?

[@ellenlee8297]

Coco is too adorable. Do a video on her

[@spicenpans]

Hahaha...she's a very naughty girl.

[@samgulao]

Hi Roland, where can I buy mei chye in SG? Thanks

[@spicenpans]

Hi Nick, you can get it from some Shengshiong outlets. You can also try your neighbourhood wet market - those stalls selling dried foodstuff should carry them.

[@wongshihchieh1919]

Very healthy cooking. You don't recommend frying the pork. Looks good. Will definitely try. Keep up the good work.

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so so much, Shihchieh! :))

[@tempestv8]

I deep fried the pork after the boiling process, and the amount of oil splatter everywhere was just shocking. The mini explosions would have been a potential for scalding. Definitely be careful if you do wish to deep fry the skin! After deep frying, I dunked the meat into a tub of icy cold water, just like in the movie Eat Drink Man Woman. Hahaha!

[@karelhethan]

Hello! I will try to make this recipe tonite,but i only have salted muichoy.can i still use it?

[@spicenpans]

Can no problem. Please soak them to remove the excess salt content. Happy cooking 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@karelhethan]

Made it and twas success😍 My employer said it was so good..a big thanks from hk!😉

[@spicenpans]

Awesome. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@caramimi]

I love this dish, but your pets stole the show!

[@spicenpans]

Hehe Opps. 😂😂

[@FunKunn]

mind if i ask but how many serving can it serve ??

[@spartacusisback8972]

WOOOOWWWW 👍👍👍😋😋😋

[@spicenpans]

Thank you so much

[@joanlee4106]

Hi.. the mei chye u using are the saltish ones or sweet ones?

[@spicenpans]

Morning. Should be sweet ones. Roland is away on a business trip. Let me confirm with him and then get back to you ASAP. Cheers

[@spicenpans]

Hi Joan. We used the sweet type. Confirmed. Cheers.

[@joanlee4106]

Spice N' Pans thanks!

[@spicenpans]

no problem. :)

[@shazzaleone6288]

Hello ! My maternal grandparents were also of the Meisien or Moiyien Hakka of Guangdong province.This dish was always something i looked forward to, since very young- whenever we visit grandma in JKT... Here in Mdia, hv not met many Meisien Hakka..

[@paulsison6336]

How do i make that mixed vegetables? What’s in it?

[@jeanng205]

Is this the salty or sweet mei cai?

[@amerabecarter7750]

Can I use white wine instead of cooking wine

[@geoklianfeser-chua6808]

Hi I just recently subscribed to your channel and found so many good comfort food recipes and still many more to watch! I love this dish but where I live, I am not able to find mei cai, so could iIsubsitute with Kiam chye rather?? Thank you!

[@spicenpans]

Hi Geok Lian. Thanks so much for your encouragement. I found mei cai being sold on Amazon. You can try to get your supplies there. Yes kiam chye will work as well but they will taste different. Happy cooking!

[@breathfocused5472]

I like to see you tase the food. What happend this time?

[@gtankngeastgreen8424]

Can you recommend dark soya and light soya sauce that's not so salty?

[@spicenpans]

Hi gtankn, may I know where do you stay? The reason why we are asking is because the brands we get in Singapore are usually only available in Singapore. Alternatively, you can get premium dark soy sauce from Lee Kum Kee and their premium light soy sauce. It's important to get the best grade so that you can achieve great tasting home cooked food. Happy cooking!

[@gtankngeastgreen8424]

@@spicenpans I reside in Singapore.

[@brendateo3789]

Hi, do you think I can use pork loin instead of pork belly? The piece of pork loin I have, also has a thick layer of skin and fat, it is meant to do a pork roast. Pork belly is quite pricey where I live and whole pork loin has half price special. Thank you.

[@spicenpans]

Yes you can, just braised them a little longer.

[@bettybet6367]

Love the dogs, both Coco and the fly catching dog, and the escape prone bird! This is my mom's favorite dish! Will have to attempt. Please show the veggie brand or how it looks so I can buy it. In a can or bag? Thanks!

[@lohthomas2971]

For the preserve vegetables use which types salty, sweet or mix of these two?

[@spicenpans]

Hi Thomas. Please use sweet ones otherwise this whole dish will be too salty. Happy cooking! 🙏🙏🙏

[@Tsunshinegal]

lol the 🐶 is smelling the delicious 🤤 food....

[@spicenpans]

Hehe. Always! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@riffmeisterkl]

What does the bay leaf do?

[@imeldanoga7142]

What exactly is the preserved veg?

[@alfatechexport3212]

when you said steaming, does you put water into the cooker?

[@spicenpans]

Hi Alfatech export. So sorry for our late reply. 🙏🙏 yes pls put water in the pot. Then use a steaming stand to prop up the plate of food that you need to steam. Only add food after the water starts boiling. Put the lid over and reduce the fire slightly if you want. Happy cooking!

[@kwansm]

Do I add water in the pressure cooker to steam the meat ?

[@tempestv8]

Yes, you'll need to put enough water at the base of the pressure cooker, otherwise no steam! I only came across this recipe today, so sorry you got a reply only 7 months later!

[@D2BIGIMU]

Hi for the Mei Chye can i use the bottle one ready to eat one

[@spicenpans]

Hi Sabrina. Don’t think so because that has been further processed and flavoured. I believe the bottled ones are ready to eat version. Suitable to be eaten straight with porridge.

[@jchao617]

What if you don’t have pressure cooker??

[@wangmeisen8993]

Hi. Can tell me , are u using sweet or salted preserve vegetables?

[@CrystalMcNair]

He suggests using the sweet preserved vegetables, otherwise it'll be too salty.

[@wangmeisen8993]

@@CrystalMcNair Thanks Crystal!