100 Home-Style Dishes: Authentic Northeastern Stew Recipe

Wash the cabbage and tear it into pieces by hand.

Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into chunks. Wash and cut the green bell peppers into chunks.

Wash and dice two tomatoes and one green eggplant. Prepare some chopped green onions, slice four cloves of garlic, slice four pieces of ginger, one star anise, one bay leaf, and six to seven peppercorns. Cut the pork belly into several pieces.

Authentic Northeastern stew always includes a can of braised pork (or luncheon meat if you don't like fatty meat).

All ingredients are ready.

Heat a pan with a little oil, then add the pork belly and fry until both sides are slightly browned.

Add scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add two spoonfuls of soybean paste and stir-fry. (I used a soup spoon for adding the seasonings.)

Add the potatoes and stir-fry until they become translucent at the edges.

Add the eggplant and stir-fry until softened. Then add a spoonful of cooking wine. Stir-fry evenly.

Add the tomatoes and stir-fry until they release their juices. Add one and a half tablespoons of light soy sauce and one and a half tablespoons of oyster sauce, and stir-fry evenly. Stir-fry until the tomatoes release more juice. Then add boiling water to cover all the ingredients.

Put it into a can of meat; it's a huge piece. Add 10 grams of white sugar to enhance the flavor.

Add the cabbage. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating.

Add 4 grams of pepper, 4 grams of salt, and 4 grams of chicken bouillon. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Add the green bell peppers and simmer over high heat for about 5 minutes, reducing the sauce. Leave some sauce; don't let it dry out completely.

It's done cooking! A whole bowl full, this rice porridge is so delicious!