Gao'an Braised Pork with Tofu Skin Sticks 高安腐竹烧肉

Gao'an Braised Pork with Tofu Skin Sticks (高安腐竹烧肉) is pork braised with the dried tofu skin (腐竹) of Gao'an (高安) in Yichun, Jiangxi, and across Jiangxi it is a dish for the Lunar New Year table.

Ingredients

Dried tofu skin is the film that forms on heated soy milk, lifted off and dried into sticks. According to a China News Service report from Gao'an, Gao'an tofu skin (高安腐竹) is a national geographical-indication product and its production technique is on Jiangxi's provincial intangible cultural heritage list. The agency describes it as glossy, with a distinctive, clean flavour, and says it does not turn mushy however long it is cooked. It names Daguanlou (大观楼), a China Time-honoured Brand, as the best-known Gao'an tofu-skin maker.

Where it comes from

China News Service traces Gao'an tofu skin back to the Tang dynasty, more than a thousand years ago, and calls it an essential item among the goods people buy for the Spring Festival. Every New Year, according to the same news service, a plate of Gao'an Braised Pork with Tofu Skin Sticks is a must on Jiangxi dinner tables, and people in Gao'an have a saying: "没有腐竹，就不叫过年", "without tofu skin, it is not New Year".