“My grandmother’s name is Hsu Chen Xiu, which translates to ‘Beauty of the Chen family’. She is the kindest, toughest lady I know. She became a mother figure at the age of six, raising her younger brother. She grew up in Taipei but after marrying my grandfather she moved to the south of Taiwan. There she had seven beautiful children of her own and has always been a helping hand to so many.
Growing up, my most vivid memory is her cycling on her red bike, the front basket full of food from the market, vegetables sticking out in every direction and both handles heavy with bags of poached goose (my grandfather’s favourite).
I would wave at her through the window and she would always give me the biggest brightest smile. She would rush through the door, glistening with sweat and instantly start preparing snacks for me and my grandfather and prepping lunch. Her friends would always come by, giving her the latest gossip in town, sipping tea and snacking on nuts.
Chao Mi Fen is my grandmother’s signature dish. It’s served at every occasion, from Chinese New Year to high school graduation and even for the neighbour’s son’s wedding. Every time I am back in Taiwan, my grandmother welcomes me home with a large bowl. The flavours are simple yet complex. There are a few things you must do; you have to use the best dried shiitake mushroom, find a rice vermicelli that is made from 100% rice, get sweet flat cabbage and most importantly, you must cook the dish with pork lard for that extra Taiwanese flavour.”
Chef Erchen Chen, Taiwan/UK
Ingredients
150g pork belly
4 cm of ginger, sliced
1 sprig of spring onion
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
250g thin rice vermicelli
2-3 thai shallot, thinly sliced
30g dried shrimps
50g dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
2-3 tbsp pork lard
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
50g carrot, julienned
250g flat cabbage, sliced
30g celery sticks, finely chopped
1 bunch of coriander
Method
Pork Belly Preparation
Blanch the pork belly in a pan of boiling water, once the water is brought back to boiling point, switch off the heat and discard the water.
Fill the pan with the blanched pork belly with cold water, a couple of sliced ginger, spring onion and a dash of Shaoxing wine. Bring to boil then turn the heat down to medium low heat. The water should be at a low simmer. Let it poach for 30mins, switch off the heat and let it rest for another 15mins with a lid on.
Take the pork belly out of the water and cover with cling film, let it cool down completely
Keep the poaching liquid aside for later use.
Once the pork belly has completely cooled down, slice the belly to 3mm slices.
Cooking the Vermicelli
Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water.
In a wok, fry the sliced shallot, dried shrimp, shiitake slices and sliced poached pork with pork lard on a high heat. Stir fry until golden and the shallots, shrimp and shiitake become fragrant.
Add the soy, mirin and carrot to the wok and let the flavours settle for a couple of minutes
Take out most of the ingredients out of the wok, leaving some cooked pork slices in. Add a bit more lard and stir fry the cabbage until cooked.
Drain the vermicelli properly and add to the wok. Add a bit of the pork belly poaching liquid and gauge if the vermicelli requires further cooking.
Season with soy and salt and add the rest of the stir fried ingredients back in.
Lastly garnish with finely chopped celery and fresh coriander.