Actually Irresistibly Easy to Change the Greens and Pork
I’ve been wanting to make my favorite Hawaiian dish for awhile, but not all the ingredients for the traditional version are easily accessible at the local supermarket. However, I found a recipe recently that allows me to make something similar!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
Ever since I tried Lau Lau many years ago, I’ve been hooked. Over a year ago, I was curious on how it was made, so I found a recipe. Since it required ti leaves, taro leaves, and salted butterfish, which weren’t readily available where I shopped, I never tried the recipe.
However, a couple months ago, small portions of pork butt were on sale, so I looked for recipes for that and found another Lau Lau recipe, but with the same requisite ingredients. I continued searching for other recipes and eventually found one that didn’t require these leaves nor butterfish.
Inspiring Recipe
The recipe that was going to finally guide me was Mainland Lau Lau with Pork from The 99 Cent Chef, a blog.
First Try
With a package of pork selected, I went to the produce section to find the best looking greens that were suggested on the recipe.
Ingredients to Use
Since the recipe was very flexible, I decided to use the following ingredients:
- 3.43 pounds of boneless pork shoulder butt
- 1 bundle of collard greens
- 1 bundle of turnip greens
- Salt to taste (Sea salt for steaming and pink salt for serving)
As for the optional Liquid Smoke, I skipped it because I didn’t have any.
Steps to Prepare
When it came to the directions, I used them as guidance and did the following:
- Trimmed the pork to smaller pieces, so they would fit better in the leaves
- Followed the suggested steps until everything was wrapped in foil
- Added water to a wok with a metal bowl on a steamer rack
- For the first hour of simmering, started with high heat and gradually lowered it to medium low, went back to medium high, and finally settled on medium
- Added 4 cups of hot water after each hour
- Checked a bundle after 3 hours of steaming and found that the meat was not quite fall-apart tender and needed more salt
- Stopped steaming after 3.5 hours because it was getting late for dinner
- Didn’t save any simmering water from the bowl since there was some in the foil
Time to Eat
To make it easier to share the dish with my family, I removed all the foil, placed everything on a plate, and sprinkled some salt once over the meat and greens before serving.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 * |  | | |
The pork was salty enough and tender, but still didn’t fall apart easily. The greens were soft and tasted okay.
Even though my older son didn’t like the vegetables, he did enjoy the meat.
However, my husband liked the dish. In addition, he suggested cutting up the stems and adding them inside the bundles next time.
Second Try
For the second attempt, I wanted the pork to be softer than before. Also, I wanted to increase the amount of salt added to the pork before steaming, so I wouldn’t have to add it before the meal.
Ingredients to Use
As compared to the first try, I only changed the type of meat and greens.
For the pork, I purchased it at a different supermarket and ended up with 2.41 pounds of boneless pork blade steak.
As for the greens, I purchased a bundle each of kale and Korean mustard leaf at the same supermarket as the first around.
Steps to Prepare
For the process, below are the areas where they differed from the first try:
- Because the pork came in smaller pieces, I didn’t need to cut them into manageable portions.
- To season the meat, I sprinkled salt 3 times across the top of each piece.
- Since I knew that I didn’t need to cut the pork, I laid out 12 half sheets of foil ahead of time.
- Knowing the steaming temperature that I ended up using last time, I kept the stove at medium for 4 hours.
- While I added 4 cups of hot water after each hour for the first three, the wok had already dried up 51 minutes into the last hour, so I had to add the last 4 cups earlier.
- Though I did reserve 1 cup of simmering water, about 5 ounces was enough to moisten the meat.
Time to Eat
I couldn’t wait to try this version of Mainland Lau Lau with the curly kale leaves!
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 * | | | |
Without having to add extra salt before serving the dish, it was already a bit salty. However, I did like the texture of the kale and how nicely it melded together with the non-bitter mustard leaf. Also, the fork-tender pork with soft fat was good.
Lastly, my husband also liked this version, so overall, this batch came out better.
Though this dish takes some time to put together and steam, I would make it again. Next time, I will try the following to get the right amount of saltiness:
Continuous Improvement
- Sprinkle salt across the pork only two times before cooking and add more of the simmering liquid before serving.
While I was preparing this dish, I had in the back of my mind that all the foil that I was using seemed like a waste. I later realized that there was a similar recipe on Tablespoon.com that didn’t require foil. Kale-Wrapped Steamed Pork (LauLau Inspired) was posted on the website by The Food in My Beard. Based on what I learned, I would like to share the following with my previous self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Follow your feelings!
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Mainland Lau Lau with Pork, from the blog, The 99 Cent Chef?
- Share your favorite version of Lau Lau?
- Ask a question or leave a note in the Comment box below about this post?