Chinese-style Steamed pork with homemade rice flour known as FenzhengRou (粉蒸肉) in Chinese. We get lots of versions and flavors of this humble steamed dish. I introduce the Sichuan version this time.
This is a very famous and popular dish in China but I guess it is unknown to most of non-Chinese. I really feel that I need to introduce this dish from starch. Steamed pork, beef or ribs with rice flour are grouped as Fenzheng dishes (粉蒸菜).
To make the perfect steamed pork, one of the most important steps is to make homemade rice flour. We get lots of store versions in our market but the homemade version is always the best. We use regular short-grain rice as the basic ingredient for Fenzheng Rou and sometimes sticky rice (糯米）is added in order to create a softer and chewier texture. It is only personal preference.
To make the rice flour
Mix sticky rice with regular short-grain rice together and wash well. Then drain completely.
Place the rice in a pan and then add spices. Heat over the slowest fire until part of the rice is slightly browned. Keep moving the rice grains to avoid burning. Don't overcook the rice. They should be around 80% cooked. Then blend the rice into a coarse powder. Mix the rice powder directly with the pork belly. This method is called as dry mixing, mainly used for oily ingredients. In other cases for example, steamed beef or ribs, we need to add liquid to the rice flour first, namely wet mixing.
The bottom vegetable is also important to ensure that vapor can come through from different places. Then lay the pork belly on the top (don't press them). I will recommend you use a bamboo steamer for this dish.
The rice powder can still keep the stronger texture of the rice and the remaining original aroma.
🧾Recipe
(FenzhengRou)Steamed Pork with Rice Flour
Ingredients
- 600 g pork belly , or other part with some fat to make two versions
- chopped green onion , optional or you can use coriander
- 2 middle size sweet potatoes , cut into small cubes
For the rice flour
- 1 star anise
- ¾ cup short grain rice
- ½ cup sticky rice
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 whole Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 very small piece of cinnamon
- 3 piece of angelica root , optional
Sauce for Sichuan Hot Flavor
- 1 tbsp. Low-sodium light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
- 1 inch root ginger grated
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- ½ tsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. salt , since other sauces are quite salty, you can skip salt
- 1 tbsp. doubanjiang
- 1 egg
- ½ tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn seeds
Sauce for regular flavor (for children and mild flavor lovers)
- 1 tbsp. Low-sodium light soy sauce
- ½ tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
- 1 egg
- ½ tbsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Wash grain rice and then drain.
- Wash the pork belly carefully and then cut into thin slices. I make two versions this time so I divide this batch into two bowls. Marinate pork belly with all the marinating ingredients.
- Add rice and spices in pan on medium heat until most of the rice grains become slightly brown. Pulverize the rice to powders using food processor or by hand.
- Mix the pulverized rice with marinated pork. Lay some fresh leaves or clean gauze and then sweet potato cubs under your bamboo steamer. Then spread the pork slices evenly on sweet potato cubes; steam with middle high fire for around 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- Transfer out and garnish some chopped green onions and serve hot!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Olive
Every week I try a different recipe on your website and each one always comes out very delicious. Thank you so much for sharing great recipes! I am loving learning this new style of cuisine and way of cooking. Thank You!!
Elaine
Thank you Olive for your support and trust!! I am so glad to read this one knowing someone is trying my recipes because of trust, trying those less known dishes. Happy cooking!!!
Sigi
You really add some amazing dishes to my meals at home!
Elaine
Love you Sigi. That's a lovely comment.
Stan Paszkiewicz
Dear Elaine I was happy to find your recipe and instructions for fen Zheng rou While living in Wuhan I was able to eat this dish many times. Some questions for you: 1. In your of ingredients for the rice flour you list “1/2 cup sticky rice “. Then a few lines lower you list “0.5 cup sticky rice” Do you really mean to include 1 cup of sticky rice or is this an edit error? 2. Instructions. What are the marinating items for the pork belly? Thank you
Elaine
Hi Stan,
Thanks for pointing this out. Actually we only need 1/2 cup of sticky rice. It is q error of repetition. I included two versions in the recipe. So you either choose regular flavor or Sichuan hot flavor as the marinating ingredients.