Braised Yam / 芋头焖肉 / 豚肉とエビ芋の煮

I craved for this yammy dish right after I mentioned it in my previous post. Found some fresh yams at the market the other day, had no reason not to grab one. What a yammy week for me, cooked yam rice, yam cake and this braised yam with pork belly - traditional Chinese (hokkien?) dish. It used to be one of the must have items in a wedding lunch menu list, in the village I came from. Yes, it was lunch and all dishes were cooked by the appointed "chefs" living in same village. Slowly, this type of "home-cooked" lunches were taken over by food catering company and most of the traditional dishes were also replaced with something new. Miss those dishes a lot!

Surprised to see T eating a lot of yam, did not expected this actually. It was 2nd or 3rd time I cooked this dish since I know him. If I remember correctly, he did not like it that much for the first time? Both of us just could not resist the black fungus coated by melted yam. Pork belly was soft and tender, I ate some fatty part... guilty!! As usual, eat first and feel guilty later. ^_*

Ingredients:
400g yam, peeled and cubed
200g pork belly or chicken thigh, cut into chunks
20g black fungus, soaked
4-5 cloves garlic, rushed
2-3 bulb shallot, chopped
Water
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying
Greens for garnish

Marinade (for meat):
½ tsp five-spice powder
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp corn flour

Methods:

1. Marinate pork belly or chicken for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat enough oil in wok, deep fry yam until it is browned lightly. Remove from wok and set aside.
3. Use the same oil, fry the pork belly until it is browned lightly. Remove from wok and set aside.
4. Remove excess oil in the wok, leave about 1 tablespoon for frying shallot and garlic.
5. Stir in shallot and garlic, fry until aroma is released.
6. Return yam and pork into the wok, add in black fungus. Stir to mix.
7. Add in 1 cup of water, bring to boil then let it simmer with cover until yam is softened.
8. Check and stir a few times while simmering, add additional water (use boiling water) if necessary.
9. Add salt to taste. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with greens.
   

Cook's Notes:

1. If more fungus is preferred, do not hesitate to add more.
2. Some spices like star anise and cinnamon stick can also be added for extra flavours.