This Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Pumpkin Greens- Pork Rousi ek Bred Zironmon-is full of complex texture from the succulent pork to the crunchiness of the pumpkin greens stalks.
This is dish is a contribution from our Chinese ancestors to our Seychellois culinary repertoire. It is full of tropical goodness with the leafy shoots soaking up every drop of flavour while the stalks remaining crunchy. A foodie’s dream served over a bed of hot steaming rice or tossed in noodles.
WHAT IS BRED?
Bred is a Creole word that refers to a large variety of the tender leaves and shoots of some edible plants that are used as leaf vegetables. The word bred may be Portuguese in origin; bredo or brada, or possibly Indian brette, meaning good to eat. The main types of bred or greens that are consumed in the Seychelles are: Bred moroum, bred lanmar, bred paryater, bred martin, bred soudsin, bred sousout, bred zironmon, bred mayok, Kreson or watercress and bred gondole. Click here to learn more about these greens.
BRED ZIRONMON
For this dish we are using bred zironmon (Fr. giraumon) which is the tender shots, or growing tips and tender leaves of the pumpkin plant. The pumpkin plant is a very versatile plant. Few people are aware that, in addition to the pumpkin itself, you can eat the young stems, leaves, flowers, the seeds (roasted), shoots and tendrils. The pumpkin plant will always put out a new shoots after the vine has been harvested.
Bred zironmon lacks any bitterness that other greens tend to have. In fact, it has quite a sweetish flavour that can be described as a cross between squash and spinach. This bred has to be prepared properly before cooking. If you take a very close look at pumpkin leaves you will notice little “thorns” or fuzz along the spine, as shown in the photo above. These thorns are softer the closer you are to the tip of the shoot. This is why you need to only use the very young leaves and shoots. Younger leaves are more tender and ideal for cooking.
SELECTION AND STORAGE
Always, buy fresh unwilted leaves featuring green colour, vitality, and crispiness. Avoid those with dull/sunken leaves, yellow discoloration, and spots. Although they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, fresh shoots should be eaten at the earliest in order to get maximum nutrition benefits
PREPARING THE PUMPKIN GREENS
Make sure to get a big bundle because, like any leafy green, the volume of this vegetable reduces by half after cooking. They require a bit of work before cooking because, as mentioned already, they are covered in fuzz which has a prickly texture.
Once you have picked or purchased your pumpkin greens, thoroughly wash them under running water because they often carry soil and other little bits. Do not skip this step, because chewing soil is not very pleasant.
The next step after washing is to pick through and discard any tough, large stems and matured leaves from the vine shoots and using only young shoots and tender leaves.
PEEL THE SHOOTS
You will then need to trim and peel the shoots. The flesh at the very tip of the shoot, which is about the first 8 cm, is tender and requires no peeling, but the rest of the shoot requires some peeling. I suggest that you cut the shoots in 4cm lengths. Cut the tips off , do not remove any tendrils or the fuzz because they can be eaten, and place in a container. Keep the unopened flowers and baby pumpkin, they add extra texture and colour to the dish.
Peeling the Fibrous Outer Layer
The peeling is to remove the fibrous outer layer of the shoots. This is done by holding the stem and breaking it into two. You will find that the fibrous outer layer will not snap. You can then peel off the outer fibrous outer layer by pulling it from the stems down to the back of the leaves. This process will remove all the fuzz as well as the fibrous outer layer leaving only the tender inner part of the shoots. Go all around the stem until all the fuzz is gone.
Repeat the process until you reach the part when the shoot gets too fibrous and tough. Discard them.
PEEL THE LEAF STALKS
You may have to also peel the leaf stalks, the part that connects the leaf to the stem. To do this you have to hold the leaf upside down by its stalk. Use your thumbnail to split half or a third of the stalk, which is hollow, and snap it backward so that the flesh breaks cleanly, but the outer fibers do not. Pull gently, removing the fibers from the outside of the stalk and the back of the leaf. Repeat until you have de-strung all of your bunch.
Once all the pumpkin greens have been cleaned and peeled, cut it into 4 cm lengths and keep.
Stir-fry – rousi?
Rousi derives from the French ‘roussir’ meaning to brown. Browning in the culinary world is the process of partially cooking the surface of an ingredient in hot oil or butter to give the ingredient a brown color crust and intensify the flavour. In meat it also helps to remove or render excess fat.
In Seychelles rousi is a term used to describe a process that involves a combination of stir-frying and sautéeing and not browning. We do not have an equivalent creole technical culinary term yet for stir-frying.
What pork cut to use?
I use pork belly for this dish because it contains some fat that marries well with the crunchiness of the stems. If you cannot access pork belly, pork shoulder will be a good substitute.
How to Prepare the pork
Wash your pork and pat dry. Cut it into easy-to-manage chunks that will allow you to slice it into 1 mm thick strips that are about 2.5 cm long by 2.5cm wide.
The key to cutting your pork thinly is to place it in the freezer for two to three hours. This makes the meat hard enough to be sliced thinly. Once your pork is firm enough, use a sharp knife to slice it thinly. Make sure that you are cutting against the grain with the skin facing down
Once you have cut your pork, place in a bowl and keep covered in a refrigerator.
Finishing the Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Pumpkin Greens- Pork Rousi ek Bred Zironmo
Place the pork slices in non-stick a medium size pot, add the water, cover the pot and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If your pork meat is tough , add some more water and simmer for about another 10 minutes. Once the pork has softened, pour out any remaining cooking liquor from the pan and keep.
Place the pork back on the stove and allow the pork slices to brown in its own fat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan . Add a tablespoon of oil if the pork does not release enough fat.
Turn heat on high and add sliced onion and stir in, cook for about 3 minutes then add the ginger and garlic and cracked pepper and give it a quick stir. Deglaze with some of the reserved cooking liquor or 20ml water, remove from heat and keep warm.
Add oil to a large flat pan or a wok and put on high heat. Add the prepared pumpkin greens, the sesame oil and dark soy sauce and quick stir for about two minutes.
Add the cooked pork into the stir-fried greens , stir thoroughly. Season and remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking. You need to enjoy the crunch of the stalks.
Serve over plain boiled rice or tossed in noodles.
Here is the Recipe for Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Pumpkin Greens- Pork Rousi ek Bred Zironmon
This Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Pumpkin Greens- Pork Rousi ek Bred Zironmon-is full of complex texture from the succulent pork to the crunchiness of the pumpkin greens stalks.
- 750 g Pork belly
- 1 large bunch of pumpkin greens
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 tsp pound or minced ginger
- 2 tsp pound or minced garlic
- 250 ml water
- 3 dashes sesame oil
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil- for stir-frying the pumpkin greens
- Salt and cracked black pepper
-
Thoroughly wash the pumpkin greens under running water because they often carry soil and other little bits of debris. Do not skip this step, because chewing soil is not very pleasant.
-
Pick through the pumpkin greens and discard any tough, large stems and matured leaves from the vine shoots and using only young shoots and tender leaves.
-
Trim and peel the shoots. The flesh at the very tip of the shoots, which is about the first 8cm, is tender and requires no peeling, but the rest of the shoot may require some peeling. Cut the tips off , do not remove any tendrils or the fuzz because they can be eaten, and place in a container. Keep the unopened flowers and baby pumpkin, they add extra texture and colour to the dish.
-
Peel the rest of the shoots as described in note 2 below. Stop when you reach the part when the shoot gets too fibrous and tough. Discard them.
-
Peel the leafstalks-You may have to also peel the leaf stalks, the part that connects the leaf to the stem. Refer to note 3 below.
-
Once all the pumpkin greens have been cleaned and peeled, cut it into 4 cm lengths and keep.
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Wash your pork belly and pat dry.
-
Cut it into easy-to-manage lengths that will allow you to slice it into 1 mm thick strips that are about 2.5cm long by 2.5cm wide
-
Place cut pork in the freezer for about two hours. This makes the meat hard enough to be sliced thinly.
-
Once your pork is firm enough, use a sharp knife to slice it thinly. Make sure that you are cutting against the grain with the skin down
-
Once you have cut your pork, place in a bowl and keep covered in a refrigerator until needed
-
Season the pork meat and place it in non-stick a medium size pot, add the water, cover the pot and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If your pork meat is tough, add some more water and simmer for about another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
-
Once the pork has softened, pour out any remaining cooking liquor from the pan and keep.
-
Place the pork back on the stove and allow the pork slices to brown in its own fat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan . Add a tablespoon of oil if the pork does not release enough fat.
-
Turn heat on high and add sliced onion and stir in, cook for about 3 minutes then add the ginger and garlic and cracked pepper and give it a quick stir.
-
Deglaze with some of the reserved cooking liquor or 20ml water, remove from heat and keep.
-
Add oil to a large flat pan or a wok and put on high heat. Add the prepared pumpkin greens, the sesame oil and dark soy sauce and quick stir for about two minutes.
-
Add the cooked pork into the stir-fried greens , stir thoroughly. Season and remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking. You need to enjoy the crunch of the stalks.
-
Serve over plain boiled rice or tossed in noodles.
- The key to cutting your pork thinly is to place it in the freezer for about two hours. This makes the meat hard enough to be sliced thinly
- The peeling is to remove the fibrous outer layer of the shoots. This is done by holding the stem and breaking it into two. You will find that the fibrous outer layer will not snap. You can then peel off the outer fibrous outer layer by pulling it from the stems down to the back of the leaves. This process will remove all the fuzz as well as the fibrous outer layer leaving only the tender inner part of the shoots. Go all around the stem until all the fuzz is gone.
- To peel the leaf stalks, hold the leaf upside down by its stalk. Use your thumbnail to split half or a third of the stalk, which is hollow, and snap it backward so that the flesh breaks cleanly, but the outer fibers do not. Pull gently, removing the fibers from the outside of the stalk and the back of the leaf. Repeat until you have de-strung all of your bunch
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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