Thousand Layer Pork Belly ( 梅菜扣肉 )

Luke Nguyen cooks this Chinese classic dish - Thousand Layer Pork in one of the episodes of Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong.    This dish is also known as "Mui Choy Khow Yoke. 

Ingredients:

800g pork belly
250g preserved mustard greens ("mui choy")
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp light soy
1 tsp dark soy
hot water

Marinade: (mix all together)
3 tbsp light soy
1 tbsp thick caramel sauce (dark soy)
3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp grated palm sugar
1 tsp pepper

• Marinate pork belly and leave it in the fridge, covered, for at least 1 hour (I marinated mine overnight).
• Soak preserved mustard greens for half an hour. Rinse and squeeze out the water.  Slice finely. 
• With a tablespoon of oil, saute garlic until aromatic.  Put in the preserved mustard greens and fry for about a minute.  Add in water, dark soy and light soy and bring it to the boil.  Then simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes under low heat. Set aside.
• Remove the pork from marinade and brush off the garlic and ginger from its surface.  Reserve the marinade.
• Heat a frying pan and add a tablespoon of oil.  Place the pork belly, skin-side down and fry until brown.  Turn over and brown the other side.
• Pour hot water into the pan, just enough to cover the pork.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the pan and cool before placing in the freezer, covered, for 1 hour. (I left mine in the fridge overnight)
• Slice the pork as thinly as possible (I sliced the pork into 5mm thick).
• Place the pork pieces into a bowl, skin-side down.  Top the pork with the preserved mustard greens.  Pour over the reserved marinade.
• Steam pork, covered, for about 1.5 hours or until soft.