A stranger’s family fed me in Beijing – and I wrote down the father’s recipe

I was lost in the Beijing metro at night, with a hotel address written in Chinese on a scrap of paper and no taxi willing to take me back near the train station. A group of young people pointed at one of the girls: “She speaks English!”

Her name was Zhang. She looked at my paper, made one phone call, and asked me something I did not expect: “Have you eaten dinner? Mom will invite you, and we will take you back afterward.”

First, we went shopping in a mall that stays open all night, and I came out with a red satin dress with a Mao collar. Then we walked to a tall building. Her father opened the door with open arms and a white apron. Her grandmother was in a wheelchair at the dining table. I was handed giant animal-shaped slippers. The smell of pork belly with star anise filled the flat.

I rarely eat meat, and the pork belly was still excellent. I ended up staying with this family for a few days, and I wrote down what the father cooked. Here is the dish. It is simpler than it looks:

Pork belly with skin and star anise

• 1 kg pork belly cut into pieces (keep the skin; yes, it looks gross, but it is divine)
• 4 star anise
• 1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 leek, cut into chunks
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 cup rice wine or white wine
• 200 g firm tofu, cubed
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved

Bring oil to a boil in a large pot. Add the pork belly and the sugar, make sure the pork is submerged, and cook 5 minutes until the meat is red. Meanwhile, cook the eggs and fry the tofu. Put the meat, tofu, eggs, star anise, ginger, leek, garlic and wine in a large pot with enough water to cover. Simmer over low heat for about 2 hours.

Has a stranger ever fed you abroad? Tell us where you were, what you ate, and whether you ever cooked it again.