Pomelo Pith With Roasted Pork

I don't know if you have experienced this but as I grow older, I begin to appreciate some of the dishes that my parents liked which we kids didn't. Stewed pomelo pith (the mesocarp) and roasted pork is one of them.

This is not a common dish and I think it is Cantonese in origin. I think back in those days in China when people were very poor, they didn't waste food and the skin of the pomelo was not thrown to the pigs but used for cooking. I didn't find pomelo pith tasty because it was like a sponge, without much flavor except for the sauce that it was cooked in. Recently my mom cooked the dish and I was surprised to taste the subtle citrus flavor of the pith. I guess when you're a kid you can't appreciate such things.

Not all pomelos (which is a giant grapefruit, as big as a human head or even a football) have a tasty pith. If you are lucky to get one with more citrus flavor, do try and cook this dish just so you know how it tastes.



Pomelo Pith With Roasted Pork
1 medium-sized pomelo
300 gm roasted pork, in small pieces
2 T Chinese fermented soy bean paste
Light soy sauce for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 T spring onions, chopped
500 ml chicken stock
3 T veg oil

1. Peel the skin off the pomelo. Cut off the rind and cut the pith into slices about 2 cm thick by 5 cm long. Boil some water and soak the pomelo pith in it for at least 2 hours. Change the water a couple of times using room temperature water.

2. Heat up a heavy pot o! r a wok. Add the oil and fry the garlic and bean paste until fragrant. Squeeze the water out from the pomelo pith and place into the pot/wok. Add the pork, stirring well to mix. Add about 3 T light soy sauce, stir, then add the stock and cover. Simmer until pork and pomelo pith is tender. Season to taste with more light soy sauce if needed. Add more stock if necessary. The dish should be slightly more soupy. Garnish with the spring onions.