Picture of the Day: Braised Pomelo Pith

A gorgeous slab of pomelo pith braised with shrimp roe 

One dish I enjoy eating in Hong Kong is braised pomelo pith with shrimp roe, and was lucky to eat it during my trip. 

For starters not many restaurants make it because it's so laborious. The outer skin needs to be removed before the pith is soaked for a few days; every four hours the pith needs to be wrung out and the water changed. A friend tried to make it once and didn't wring it out so the pith became mouldy!

The next step is to boil the pith for about 10 minutes and then let it cool (and wring it out again).

Making the marinade involves ingredients like dark soy sauce, bean paste, oyster sauce, water, and sugar. Other variations include adding sake, mirin and sesame oil. Restaurants make the savoury sauce taste is similar to the one used for braised goose webs and abalone.

From there the pith is braised in the marinade and it soaks up the flavours of the sauce like a sponge.

The texture of the braised pomelo pith is so soft that it practically melts in the mouth. Restaurants usually serve it with a generous spread of shrimp roe, while some home recipes use dried shrimp instead. 

Usually one eats this dish during Mid-Autumn Festival when pomelos are abundant, but amazingly this dish is available year-round in many places.

Maybe one day I will attempt this recipe, but in the meantime I try to order it whenever I see it on the menu!