This is a very famous based dish. This is a lovely dish to serve with friends and family.
Ingredients:
1.5kg piece belly of pork
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons dry sherry
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 medium onions
4 large slices fresh root ginger
Method:
Select a piece of pork with thin skin and with at least three layers of meat and fat, about 3cm thick. Boil the pork in water to cover for 5-6 minutes. Drain and cut into four pieces, each piece with pork skin attached. Marinated the pieces of pork in the sugar, sherry and soy sauce for 30 minutes, turning them over three times.
Place a bamboo-frame (like a round mat, only three to four times thicker) at the bottom of a flameproof pot or heavy saucepan with a lid. The purpose of this is to prevent the meat from touching the bottom of the pan, where it might burn. Drain and arrange the pieces of pork on the frame, skinn-side down. Cut the onions in quarters and place them with the ginger on top of each piece. Pour the marinade over the pork. Cover the pot or casserole as tightly as possible (in China it is sealed with dough). Place it over very low heat and cook gently for 2¼ hours.
Open the lid, transfer the pieces of pork to a clean ovenproof dish with a lid. Arrange three pieces of pork to a clean ovenproof dish with the remaining pieces on top, skin-side up. Skim the fat off the marinade, remove the ginger and onion and pour the marinade over the pork. Cover the ovenproof dish and steam for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Note: For us westerners, this could be a connoisseur's dish but it may take time to cultivate the taste for it. It might be easier to cook this dish in a casserole in a cool oven 150 degrees Celsius, 300 degrees Fahrenheit or, gas mark 2) for 2½ hours. In this way, one can dispense with the bamboo frame.