OK, forget the Bacon Explosion[1]

Last night I made a dish using "pre-bacon," i.e. pork belly, and I was
surprised how good it was, especially given how simple it is. This is
from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province by
Fuschia Dunlop and was Mao's favorite dish, according to her.

1 lb. pork belly (skin optional)
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
3/4 in. piece ginger, skin left on and sliced
1 star anise
2 dried red chiles
1 small piece cassia bark or cinnamon stick
Light soy sauce, salt and sugar
A few pieces scallion greens

1. Plunge pork belly in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 or 4
minutes until partially cooked. Remove, and when cool enough to
handle, cut into bite-sized pieces.

2) Heat the sugar and oil in a wok[2] over low heat until the sugar
melts, then raise the heat and stir until the melted sugar turns a
rich caramel brown. Add the pork and splash in the Shaoxing wine.

3) Add enough water to just cover the pork, along with the ginger,
star anise, chiles, and cassia. Bring to a boil, then turn down the
heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes.

4) Toward the end of the cooking, turn up the heat to reduce the
sauce, and season with soy sauce, salt and a little sugar to taste.
Add scallion greens just before serving.

[1] That thread being a variation on the old "How many
rec.food.cooking denizens does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" joke.

Ans: 1 initial post titled "Bacon Explosion"
1 more-or-less on-topic followup post
32 posts about an old ****ing contest
13 posts about dead pets (so far)

An amazing place, is ol' Usenet.

[2] Or just use a sauce pan.

--
Silvar Beitel

wrote on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 11:45:27 -0800
(PST):

> Last night I made a dish using "pre-bacon," i.e. pork belly,
> and I was surprised how good it was, especially given how
> simple it is. This is from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes
> from Hunan Province by Fuschia Dunlop and was Mao's favorite
> dish, according to her.

There is a recipe in Noboku Sakamotu's "The People's Republic of China
Cookbook" (1977) for Su Tung To Pork which seems similar and which is
described as an ancient recipe from Eastern China. Sakamotu says that
"Pork belly is beloved by all Chinese".It is quite simple but the pork
is braised for a long time.

This book is the best Chinese cookbook that I know. It is out of print
but second hand copies in good condition are cheap at Amazon

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not