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| Zouyou Rou, or fried boiled pork [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |
Zouyou Rou, or fried boiled pork, is a must-eat New Year’s Eve dish for people in the northern part of the Jiading Industrial Zone.
Because the dish requires a lot of time and energy to prepare, it is not commonly seen on ordinary dining tables and is regarded as a Spring Festival dish. It has become a New Year tradition for many people.
Families usually gather to prepare the dish together, and mud stoves, large iron woks, and other items commonly used in rural areas are known to bring out the most authentic flavors.
Follow these steps to prepare Zouyou Rou:
1) Buy a few pieces of streaky pork from a market and prepare some refined oil, rock candy, green onion, and soy sauce
2) Blanch the pork, cook it thoroughly, and then fry for about 10 minutes until the outer skin is crispy
3) Soak the pork in soy sauce for several hours. The skin of the pork should swell and form a distinct Zouyou Rou pattern
4) Cut the pork into 1-centimeter-thick slices, add some soy sauce, yellow rice wine, and rock candy, and steam them for one hour to allow the meat to fully absorb the sauce
5) Try out the dish, which should be very tender but not greasy, allowing it to melt in the mouth