Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly

Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly – a homey dish of melt-in-the-mouth preserved mustard. Delicious with steamed rice or congee.

Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly is a Teochew (Chaozhou) homey sweet salty dish usually served with plain congee or steamed rice. This dish often tastes better the next day after it has been repeatedly cooked or reheated. Teochew restaurants often have theirs continually cooked on the stove until the preserved mustard achieve an almost melt-in-the-mouth consistency.

Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly is especially delicious served with plain congee or rice porridge. It is also very tasty served with steamed rice. The star of this dish is the preserved mustard and there are two types to choose from – sweet/salty and just plain salty. You can find both varieties at the Asian grocery stores here and they are clearly labeled as such.

Preserved mustard must be soaked to soften and thoroughly washed to get rid of grit. Soaking also reduces the saltiness of the vegetables.

My mom likes to combine the two types of preserved mustard to produce a sweet salty dish that is truly appetizing and delicious. I like to do the same and would not cook it any other way.

Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly

Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly - a homey dish of melt-in-the-mouth preserved mustard. Delicious with steamed rice or congee.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 6

Calories: 590kcal

Author: Linda Ooi

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet sweet/salty mustard (13 oz/375g)
• 1 packet salty mustard (7oz/200g)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 lb pork belly or boneless pork ribs, cut into 1 inch cubes (450g)
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 cups water (480ml)
• 1 tbsp sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rinse and soak both kinds of preserved mustard for about an hour. When softened, thoroughly rinse mustard under running water to get rid of grit. Drain and cut into ¼ inch strips cross-wise.
• In a large pot heat sesame oil. Sauté garlic until softened, about 10 seconds. Add pork and pepper. Allow the meat to brown. This should take 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add sliced preserved mustard followed by dark soy sauce. Stir to get ingredients well mixed.
• Pour in water. Bring it to a boil.
• Add sugar, reduce heat and allow it to simmer on low for about 2 hours.
  
• You may need to add another ½ cup (120ml) water if it appears to dry up during cooking.
• When done, turn off heat. Serve with steamed rice or congee.

NUTRITION

Calories: 590kcal

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This sweet salty Braised Boey Chai with Pork Belly goes really well with plain congee as the bland congee complements the salty preserve mustard.

Both mom and I enjoy this dish very much. She will cook it for me whenever I visit. The picture below was taken at her home during my Jun 2012 Visit to Malaysia.

Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎