China · Dongbei

Pork Belly and Cabbage Stew with Cellophane Noodles

Name: Pork Belly and Cabbage Stew with Cellophane Noodles
Prep time: 27 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Dongbei
Ingredients: pork belly 300 g; napa cabbage 500 g; dried sweet potato starch noodles 50 g; thirteen-spice powder 10 g; chicken bouillon 5 g; salt 15 g; dark soy sauce 5 ml; light soy sauce 5 ml

A northeastern stew of pork belly and napa cabbage with sweet potato starch noodles, the broth savoury and rich and the noodles slippery and fragrant with meat.

45 minutes · 4 servings · Moderate

The starch noodles here are dried sweet potato noodles, which behave very differently from the glassy rice noodles used elsewhere and turn almost chewy once they have drunk up the broth. Starting them first is a bit of a hack that gets the timing right, since they need to soak while the stew comes together. It is the sort of dish that smells like someone else's house from the corridor.

Ingredients

pork belly300 g
napa cabbage500 g
dried sweet potato starch noodles50 g
thirteen-spice powder10 g
chicken bouillon5 g
salt15 g
dark soy sauce5 ml
light soy sauce5 ml

Directions

1
Bring water to the boil in a pot, add the dried noodles and cook for 5 minutes, then pour them and their water into a container, cover and leave to soak. Do this first and work through the following steps while they soak.
2
Slice the pork belly into 3 mm pieces; set aside.
3
Separate the tender cabbage leaves from the stalks and cut both into pieces; set aside.
4
Heat the wok and add 10 to 15 ml cooking oil, waiting about 10 seconds for the oil to come up to temperature.
5
Add the pork belly and stir-fry until it changes colour.
6
Add the dark soy sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute to colour the meat.
7
Add the cabbage stalks with the salt and light soy sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute; if the wok catches, splash in 10 ml water.
8
Add water to cover everything, then the chicken bouillon and thirteen-spice powder. Once it boils, turn the heat down and wait 20 minutes.
9
Drain the noodles, cut them into short lengths and set aside.
10
Add the tender cabbage leaves and stir, then lay the noodles on top, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.
11
Taste, turn off the heat, and reduce the liquid.

Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.