Food & Receipts

Every pig has a valuable part, weighing only 2 ounces, surpassing bird’s nests and ginseng

Peach cheek meat is a delicious and nutritious part of the pig. However, very few people are able to afford this meat.

28 December, 2023

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When it comes to the market, most people tend to focus on buying pork belly, pork loin, or pork butt. However, on the pig, there is a piece of meat that weighs only about 200g. It is worth noting that this piece of meat is one of the tastiest parts of the pork, with a delicious flavor and significant nutritional value, comparable to thousand-year-old ginseng.

Things to note when buying cheek meat

This cheek meat is in limited quantity, so if you want to buy, you need to go to the market early or even inform the seller in advance to ensure that you can buy it. In particular, when choosing to buy, there are some important points to note:

The surface of the cheek meat must be dry and not wet. If you feel that the meat is moist, it may have been injected with water or frozen.

The color of the meat should be bright, with a pinkish-red color and no signs of blackening.

The meat should not have a strange smell, should not be watery, and it should also retain its elasticity.

What can you cook with cheek meat?

Cheek meat has tender tendons and lard layers interlaced in each layer, so it is not tough, fibrous, or dry. On the contrary, it is extremely tender. If you have bought cheek meat, you can make many delicious dishes from it.

However, boiling or steaming often preserves the natural sweetness of the meat better. One of the simplest dishes is a stew, and you can refer to the recipe to make this dish to enjoy with your family.

Braised cheek meat with quail eggs

To make this dish, you apply a recipe that is not much different from the usual way of stewing meat. After washing the cheek meat, you boil the quail eggs and peel them. Before stewing, marinate the meat with fish sauce, salt, sugar, MSG, purple onion, and minced chili.

While stewing, you add the colored water, then briefly stir-fry the marinated meat with coconut water to give the meat a natural sweetness. Finally, add the quail eggs, and this braised cheek meat dish will become a delicious meal that is not only tasty but also tender thanks to the combination of tendons and meat.

Stir-fried cheek meat with vegetables

Many people also like to stir-fry cheek meat with vegetables, creating a unique and delicious flavor reminiscent of beef tenderloin. You can stir-fry cheek meat with vegetables such as bell peppers, snow peas, young corn, etc. The sweet and fragrant taste of fresh vegetables, along with the soft and tender meat fibers, will satisfy anyone’s taste buds.

Grilled cheek meat

Compared to regular meat, grilled cheek meat absorbs spices deeply into the meat and becomes more tender when cooked. To save preparation time, you can use pre-marinated barbecue seasoning packets. When cooking, you can grill the cheek meat with various vegetables, creating a small BBQ party at home.