Normally we often hear about pork cheek, but in fact, it is divided into two parts, which are the outer cheek and the inner cheek. If the outer cheek contains a lot of fat, then the inner cheek has a layer of soft tendons and fat interspersed between the meat.
The tendons inside the cheek have soft, thin and not tough or chewy quality. This is a very delicious part of the pig and is usually sold out quickly, difficult to find. Many long-time vendors say that the inner cheek is the most delicious part of the pig.
Things to note when buying inner cheek meat
To buy the inner cheek meat, you should go to the market early or contact the seller in advance to place an order. When choosing, you should pay attention to the following characteristics:
Check the surface of the inner cheek meat, it must be dry, without signs of moisture. If you touch the meat and feel wet, it may have been injected with water or frozen.
The inner cheek meat must have a bright, reddish color, without signs of darkening.
Check the smell of the meat, it should not have a strange smell, not dripping water and have good elasticity.
The above notes will help you choose fresh and high-quality inner cheek meat.
What delicious dishes can be made from inner cheek meat?
Braised inner cheek meat with quail eggs
To make this dish, you apply a formula that is not much different from the usual way of braising meat. You wash the meat with saltwater, the quail eggs are boiled and peeled. Before braising, marinate the meat with fish sauce, salt, sugar, MSG, purple onion, chopped chili.
When braising, pour the sauce into it, then briefly stir-fry the marinated meat together with the coconut juice to make the meat naturally sweet. Finally, add the quail eggs and it’s done. This braised inner cheek meat is not only less greasy than regular fatty meat, but also tender thanks to the combination of tendons and meat.
Stir-fried inner cheek meat with vegetables
Many people also stir-fry the inner cheek meat with vegetables, it has a unique and delicious aroma and is likened to beef tendon. You can stir-fry the inner cheek meat with vegetables such as bell peppers, snow peas, young corn, … The fragrant and nutritious flavors from fresh vegetables, combined with soft meat tendons, guaranteed no one can resist.
Grilled inner cheek meat
If regular meat when grilled is easy to dry and tough, but the inner cheek meat absorbs seasoning deeply and becomes soft when cooked. To save cooking time, you can use a marinated barbecue seasoning packet. When cooking, you can grill together with various vegetables to make a small BBQ party.
