Steamed Kou Rou with Green Garlic

Kou rou is a Guangxi steamed pork delicacy, and is quite easy to make. Basically, it is pork belly that is first simmered in water with aromatic vegetables, spices, and wine until tender, then it is coated with dark soy sauce and fried to a golden brown. I cook it in a large batch, and refrigerate it until I use it in a dish. It is a delicious addition to Fujian Salty Rice, or steamed and served on white rice. Steaming kou rou with chopped green garlic and serving with rice makes for a very quick and tasty lunch. It only requires about 15 minutes to prepare.

Making Guangxi-style steamed pork

Kou rou is simple to make, and it can be stored in a refrigerator or frozen for long term storage, so I tend to make it in large batches. For details, please see our recipe for Kou Rou. To serve it, simply slice off a few pieces, and lightly brown them, as you would bacon, or steam the kou rou.

Steaming Kou Rou with green garlic

I like the flavor of green garlic with tender, juicy steamed kou rou. The green garlic is of course optional. Where I live, I cannot find green garlic in the grocery, so I grow my own in a container. Whenever I have a clove of garlic that has started to sprout, I add it to those already growing in the container, so I have a steady supply.

For a quick lunch, I rinse and cook some white rice, cut several thin slices of kou rou, chop a freshly picked green garlic, and steam the kou rou with the garlic while the rice is cooking. I like to flavor mine with a few drops of dark soy sauce, but light soy sauce also works, or you can enjoy it plain.

Steamed Kou Rou with Rice and Green Garlic

Glenn Emerson

Kou Rou is a uniquely Guangxi dish, and despite its strange name (which Google translates to "Buckle Meat") is very tasty. Every time I purchase pork belly, I set aside at least 2 or 3 pounds to make kou rou. It is very simple to make. First, the pork belly is simmered in boiling water with wine, star anise, ginger, green onions until it is so tender you can push a chop stick through it. Then it is covered with dark soy sauce and deep-fried in oil for a few minutes until the outside is a nice golden brown. You can store it in the refrigerator, or freeze it for a long time.

For a quick lunch I cook some white rice, slice some kou rou and green garlic from my container garden, and steam them together while the rice is cooking. Place the steamed pork and garlic on some white rice, and, if you want, flavor it with a bit of dark soy sauce or light soy sauce.

3.50 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Snacks

Cuisine Chinese Home Cooking, Guangxi cuisine

Servings 1

Calories 712 kcal

Equipment

• 1 wok with steamer rack or double boiler
• 1 steamer
• 1 rice cooker or saucepan with lid

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 to 8 slices Kou Rou (slice thin, like bacon)
• 1 green garlic
• ½ cup cooked white rice

Seasonings:

• 3-4 drops light soy sauce (optional, use light or dark, sparingly)

Instructions

 

Preparation:

• Slice the kou rou into thin slices, about the thickness of a piece of bacon.
  6 to 8 slices Kou Rou
  
• Wash, peel, and chop the green garlic.
  1 green garlic
  

Steam the pork and green garlic

• Pour some potable water in your pan and place your steamer over this. (If using a double boiler, pour about 1 inch of water into the bottom pan and set the steamer pan over this.) Place the sliced pork and green garlic together in the steamer. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
  6 to 8 slices Kou Rou, 1 green garlic

Making "Classic Rice"

• While the pork is steaming, measure about 1 ⅓ cup uncooked, long-grain white rice into a sauce pan.
• Soak the rice with water from the tap, or clean water if your tap water is not potable.
• Pour the rice into a kitchen strainer, then back into the pan. Add more water.
• Repeat the rinsing until the water runs clear. This removes the excess starch from the rice.
• Cover the rinsed rice with about 1 inch of water.
• Place the pan, uncovered, on a burner and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Continue to heat the rice over high heat until the water disappears and small dimples appear in the wet rice.
• Immediately reduce the heat to low, place the lid on the pan, and cook for 10 minutes.

Serve

• When the rice is ready, fluff it with a fork or chopsticks. Spoon some into a bowl, and top with the steamed pork and green garlic. Optionally, season with a few drops of soy sauce to taste.
  ½ cup cooked white rice, 3-4 drops light soy sauce

Notes

• For best results when cooking white rice, do not follow the instructions on the package. Instead, use Grace Young’s “Classic Rice” recipe, outlined above. This will yield “al dente” rice that is not sticky or mushy.
• If you cannot find green garlic in your local grocery, it is easy to grow your own. All you need is a container or plant pot, some potting soil, and occasional watering. If you plant new cloves periodically, you will have a steady supply of fresh green garlic for cooking.
• When using a double boiler, I wrap the pork and garlic in aluminum foil. This heats it and returns the pork drippings, and it keeps the steamer pan from getting greasy, making cleanup easier.

Nutrition

Calories: 712kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 14gFat: 60gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 207mgPotassium: 244mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 11IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg

Keyword garlic leaves, kou rou, soy sauce, dark, white rice

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Do you enjoy My Chinese Home Kitchen?

We enjoy sharing these authentic home recipes with you. Learn more about My Chinese Home Kitchen at our About page.

Please leave a comment, or SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter.

For more of our original videos, visit My Chinese Home Kitchen on YouTube and Rumble.