Clear-Stewed Lion's Head Meatballs (Home-style Version)
- Ingredient Selection & Prep: Select 500g of pork belly (with a 6:4 fat-to-lean ratio). Dice the fat into soybean-sized cubes and the lean meat into mung-bean-sized cubes; avoid haphazard chopping to ensure the meat pieces remain uniform.
- Seasoning & Binding: Add 9g of salt and 1g of white pepper. Gradually incorporate 150g of water in three batches, stirring until fully absorbed. Then, add one egg white and 40g of starch, and repeatedly slap the meat mixture against the bowl until it becomes sticky and holds together.
- Flavor Enhancers: Mix in 100g of diced water chestnuts and set aside.
- Slow Simmering: Line the bottom of the pot with pork skin and ginger slices. Once the water begins to simmer gently, shape the meat mixture into meatballs weighing approximately 80g and place them in the pot. Cook over low heat throughout; cover the meatballs with Napa cabbage leaves and simmer gently for 2.5 hours.
Huaiyang-Style Braised Pork Hock (Home-style Version)
- Pre-treatment: Select a front pork hock. Singe off any remaining hair on the skin, separate the meat from the bone along the joint, and blanch the hock in cold water with cooking wine for 3–5 minutes before removing.
- Caramelizing Sugar: Coat the pan with a little oil, add rock sugar, and stir-fry over low heat until it turns a light date-red color. Immediately pour in hot water to prevent the sugar from turning bitter.
- Pressure Braising: Pour the caramelized sugar mixture into a pressure cooker. Add aromatics (scallions, ginger, and star anise sautéed until fragrant), light soy sauce, salt, rock sugar, and Huadiao wine. Place the hock inside and cook under pressure over low heat for 90 minutes after the cooker reaches pressure.
- Reducing the Sauce: Remove the hock and place it on a serving dish. Strain the cooking liquid, add a splash of Sichuan peppercorn-infused wine, and reduce over high heat until glossy. Pour the sauce over the hock; the finished dish features the signature Huaiyang sweet-and-salty flavor profile.
