Dong-Po Pork (東坡肉)

This is quite a famous dish, and a delicacy, because it was an invention and a legacy from a dear beloved writer, poet, and statesman in the 11th Century (the Song Dynasty).  If you ever visit 杭州 , or its not-too-distant neighboring city, Shanghai, it's likely that you might be treated with this dish, with much fanfare :-).  For the longest time, I've been hesitant to try my hands on this dish, because it is considered slightly unhealthy, in modern standard, due to its much celebrated and well cooked pork fat.  That problem is partially eliminated in this recipe.  Now, it's well worth a try!  It tastes as good as, if not better than, the original version, I believe.

1. Get a hunk (~2.5 lbs) of Hind Leg Lean Pork with Skin (帶皮後腿肉).  Blanch all sides in boiling water (in a 10-12" pot) for 2-3 minutes.  Note- We use Lean Pork instead of the commonly used Pork Belly here.  The only fat left in this recipe is under the skin, which can be easily separated out, if desired.
2. Cut off the uneven meat from the non-skin sides, to shape the meat into a well-formed rectangular block.  Let the meat block sit skin-side-down, and further cut the block into roughly 2.5" - 3" cubes.  (Please cut with care, as the skin side might be a bit shifty with the skin and fat.)
3. (Very Low Heat) Use a frying pan under very low heat.  Add 2-3 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil, 2-3 Tbsp of Rock Sugar (冰糖) and 2-3 Tbsp of Brown Sugar (or 5-6 Tbsp of Brown Sugar if you don't have rock sugar).  When the sugar is partially dissolved, place the meat cubes skin-side-down on the pan, cook until the skin absorbs the sugar color (for 4-5 minute).  Shift the cubes from time to time, to make sure the skin is not burnt.  
4. Use a smaller 8"-10" pot next.  Add 2 stalks of green onions (cut into long segments), 4-6 pieces of ginger into the pot.  Add 3 Tbsp of Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce,  3 Tbsp Yellow-Rice-Cooking-Wine (绍興酒), 1/2 tsp of Salt, 1 tsp of sugar, into the pot.  Pour what is left in the frying pan (from Step 3) into the pot as well.  Add a cup of water into the pot.
5. Now, place the meat cubes skin-side-down into the pot.  Fill the empty space on the side of the pot with the meat that was shaved off from Step 2 (to prevent the cubes from being moved around during the cooking process).  Add water to immerse the meat cubes to 70-80% of its height.  
6. Bring the pot to boil and let simmer at very low heat for 1.5 hours.  Use chopsticks to shift the cubes slightly every 30 minutes, to make sure the skin is not stuck to the pot bottom. 
7. Place the meat cubes in a serving plate with skin-side-up, then place the plate into a steamer.  Steam for an hour.  Note- To simplify the procedure, I cooked the cubes in the pot (in Step 6) for 2.5 hours, without steaming.  By then, the pork has turned into pulled-pork.  So, carefully remove the cubes out and line them up in a plate, skin-side-up.  One or two pieces of the skin might have been separated from the meat.  Place the skin back on top of the meat cube (for presentation purpose :-).
8. Pour some of the juice left in the cooking pot from Step 6 over the cubes.  Garnish with your favorite leafy vegetable on the side, and serve.  The finished product (without garnish) is shown below.