Master The Time Code For Making Steamed Pork And Easily Make Delicious Steamed Pork That Is Not Greasy.

Sichuan-Chongqing "Slow Steaming" Philosophy: Unlocking the 90-minute Time Code for Steamed Pork with Vermicelli

There are always a few dishes on the stoves of people in Sichuan and Chongqing. They are the touchstones for testing family cooking skills.

The steamed pork dish I’m going to talk about today is quite interesting. Many people have been tossing it at home for a long time, and when they taste it, they find that the meat is cooked, but the texture is hard. Compared with the soft and glutinous meat, it is not just a little bit different, but a lot worse.

Don't worry, today we will use the experience of this old man to dig deeper into the secrets contained in this famous dish with traditional Sichuan characteristics.

Thirty-minute "Time Trap": Why does your meat always taste bad?

Most people want to save trouble and steam the food for twenty or thirty minutes before bringing it out quickly.

But these thirty minutes are exactly the " time trap " of steamed pork.

I got to know a senior chef who specializes in Sichuan cuisine. He told me that the essence of this dish is a focused and in-depth practice of "time".

The layer of rice flour attached to the meat is not just a decoration, it actually builds a "time barrier" for the meat.

When the time is extremely short, there is no way for heat to penetrate at all. So how can this abominable thing turn into that trembling jelly-like substance?

How can lean meat reach the state of being crispy and rotten?

Behind this, there is a gorgeous transformation process of collagen. It needs to be in a continuous and stable hot and humid environment. After a period of time, it can evolve from a hard fiber state into a gelatin state that melts in the mouth.

Therefore, if you want to eat authentic Sichuan food, you have to fight against time.

90 minutes of magic and the Sichuan flavor soul of "two swords combined"

A chef once gave me a so-called "time code", that is, if you use an ordinary steamer, you need to steam it for a full 90 minutes; if you use a pressure cooker, it also takes 40 to 50 minutes to complete the task.

As time goes by, the rice flour begins to work. It fully absorbs the oil and juice squeezed out of the meat, and becomes oily and soft, as if the meat is covered with a "time armor" that absorbs the essence.

Of course, time alone is not enough to have the right taste.

If this steamed pork is to have a " Sichuan flavor ", the marinade is the lifeblood.

The essence of Sichuan flavor lies in the mellowness of the sweet aroma.

The first thing for the soul is red bean curd juice .

The fermented salty aroma and bright red color cannot be replaced by other seasonings.

You have to mash the fermented bean curd into a pulp and "massage" the meat slices with juice and mud.

The second item of soul is glutinous rice (sweet fermented rice).

When it is added, the alcohol evaporates during the stewing process, and what remains is the unique rice aroma and sweet taste. This taste can resolve fatness and improve the taste to a better level.

The combination of the two is a perfect combination of two swords .

Moisture and time fortress: the ultimate secret to success

The pickling method is also very critical. The meat slices need to be cut into a thickness of about seven or eight millimeters. First, fermented bean curd juice is added, then fermented glutinous rice juice is added, then a certain amount of sugar and minced ginger are added, and then the five-spice powder is used to rub it vigorously.

When breading, the trick is to master the " moistness ".

Don't just shoot dryly, you need to place the rice noodles in a basin, add the marinated meat slices, and stir together so that the rice noodles can evenly and moistly adhere to the meat slices, but cannot form clumps.

If it's too dry, add some marinade juice; if it's too wet, add some dry powder.

This step determines whether the finished product is "dry barley residue" or " oily gauze ".

Build your “ time fortress ”.

At the bottom of the bowl, there are potatoes, sweet potatoes, or more delicate taro. After they absorb the gravy, they become more fragrant than the meat.

Arrange the meat slices neatly, skin side down, without overcrowding.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat, for at least 90 minutes in a regular pot.

During this hour and a half, be sure not to keep opening the lid. As soon as you open it, the temperature will drop sharply, and the collagen conversion will have to start all over again.

Waiting for you to open the lid of the pot, the mixed sweet and meaty aroma rushes over you. At this time, you will understand that it is a success!

Pick up a piece, the fat meat becomes transparent , the lean meat falls apart as soon as you push it, and the rice noodles are so oily that you can squeeze out the oil.

This is what Sichuan and Chongqing Steamed Pork with Vermicelli should look like.

It tells us that the depth of flavor is given by time.

Give your steamed pork a try, and next time you might as well try this "90-minute 'slow steaming philosophy'", which will ensure that you experience the feeling of taking off from the same spot.