Even though we are not Hakka but my mom do cooked some of Hakka dishes for us like the Yong Tau Foo , Kau Yoke, Mui Choi Kau Yoke, Abacus Beads and this Char Yoke. She will make this particular dish only on special occasions like Chinese New Year or Mooncake Festival. This is quite a simple recipe with not too many ingredients other than the adding the red fermented beancurd and five spice powder to the dish.
I put off making this dish for something because I don’t like the splashing of the oil while deep frying the marinated meat. I did get splashed a bit by the oil while trying to turn the pork but it is all worth it as the dish turns out really well as the pork is tender and the black fungus (woodears) are soft yet slightly on the crunchy side. It goes really well with steamed rice. Since I don’t prepare dishes like this often I cook a bit more so I can freeze some of it. When I wanted to eat it, all I have to do is defrost and reheat it with a few tablespoon of water.
