Ingredients
500 g (about 1 lb) pork belly with skin, 200 g (about 4 large) eggs, 75 g deep-fried pork meatballs, 50 g each of dried cuttlefish and chicken, 25 g each of ham, winter bamboo shoots, and mushrooms, 10 g dried shrimp (golden hooks).
Seasonings
500 g (about 1 lb) fresh broth, 250 g (about 1/2 lb) lard, 25 g each fine dry bean starch and rock sugar syrup, 20 g fermented rice wine, 15 g each scallions and soy sauce, 10 g ginger, 3 g salt, 2 g pepper.
Instructions
1. Cut the winter bamboo shoots into irregular chunks; slice the ham into thick strips; rehydrate the dried shrimp and dried squid in water, then wash them clean; blanch the pork, chicken, and pork bones in boiling water for a few minutes, then remove; cut the pork into 7 cm (about 2.75 inch) square pieces; chop the chicken into pieces; hard-boil the eggs, peel them, coat in fine dry potato starch, and deep-fry in lard until golden, then remove.
2. Place pork bones at the bottom of a small earthenware pot, then add pork, chicken, cuttlefish, dried shrimp, ham, winter bamboo shoots, eggs, and pork meatballs. Season with salt, soy sauce, fermented rice wine, rock sugar syrup, and a gauze bag containing smashed ginger, scallion knots, crushed peppercorns, and rehydrated dried mushrooms. Pour in fresh broth, seal the pot tightly with moistened paper, and slow-cook over chaff and husk embers for about 5 to 6 hours. Remove the sealing paper, discard the spice bag, and transfer everything to a serving plate. This dish is rich in ingredients, plump in appearance, reddish-brown in color, deeply flavorful, and wonderfully savory.