Скачать или смотреть Hakka Stir Fry Pork Belly with Squid (客家小炒)

Hakka Stir-Fry with Pork Belly and Squid (also known as 客家小炒 or Hakka-style stir-fry) is a bold, savory dish that tells a story of resourcefulness, community, and umami mastery. It’s wok-fried at high heat, often with minimal sauce, letting the ingredients speak for themselves in smoky, savoury harmony.
This dish was originally a banquet must-have in traditional Hakka celebrations. Why? Because it showcased preserved ingredients like dried squid and tofu skin, which reflected the Hakka people's migrant history, a culture known for making the most of durable, transportable ingredients that packed a punch.
The combination of pork belly and re-hydrated dried squid may seem unusual, but it is intentional. You get the soft, fatty richness of the pork with the chewy, briny bite of squid. The textures contrast beautifully, making every bite layered and satisfying.
OK, the way the recipe (traditionally) came to me was that I only needed to reconstitute the dehydrated squid for 1hr. But I found that that left a SERIOUS chew! Call me a lazy eater, but I found that rehydrating it for 24hrs gave it a satisfactory chew that is not so tough. In reality, you can rehydrate for up to 5 days, to get a plump rehydrated squid, but I feel that losses too much seafood umami, which is integral to this dish.
Also, you really want a 'fatty' pork belly. As the best way to do it is to render the fat out of the pork, rather than having to add additional oil. And, this is meant to be a 'smokey' dish (high in wok heat 'wok hei'), so only use the amount of 'sauce' you need to get it caramelising, rather than dumping it all in! You are aiming for a smokey, lardy, and toasty seafood overtone, balanced with the sweet and sour of the vinegar.

250g pork belly
50g of dried squid (soak for 1 day in 1 tbsp baking soda/1 L water)
3 piece dried tofu
3 cloves garlic
1 stalk Chinese leek (which is like a smaller version of leek)
3 stalks Chinese celery (or 1 stalk normal celery thinly sliced)
1 large red chilli
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black vinegar
White pepper to taste