There’s no need to be stuck with Eurocentric cooking over Christmas. Here’s a comforting double-braised pork with taro (Wu tao kao yo bu) recipe from the timelessly elegant Christine Yau of YMing Restaurant. You can buy taro root, an immensely versatile tuber, in most Asian supermarkets.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
5 garlic cloves
450g taro root
1kg belly pork, in one piece
3 dssp dark soy sauce
3 cubes red bean paste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt
Method
Chop the garlic. Peel and slice the taro into 2cm slices, and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Over a flame, singe off any hair on the pork skin, and wash the meat well. Bring a big pot of water to boil, blanch the meat for 2 minutes, then refresh under running cold water. Dry with a clean towel. Spread soy sauce over the meat. Heat oil in a wok. Add the belly and fry for 10 minutes until golden brown all over. Cut the pork to the same thickness as the taro. Heat more oil in the wok, and stir-fry the garlic and red bean paste for 30 seconds, before adding the sliced meat. Stir-fry, taste for seasoning, then remove the pork. Arrange the meat and taro in alternate slices in a pot or casserole. Pour over the garlic and red bean sauce, and simmer gently until the pork is tender.
