Oyster-Sauce Braised Pomelo Pith

Why people make this dish

The pomelo pith — that thick white inner rind left behind after a pomelo is eaten — is something thrifty cooks have long turned into a savory little dish rather than discarding it. In the old days, families would char the golden surface over charcoal and scrape it off to keep the aroma and cut the bitterness. For a home dish you simply shave off the surface, soak the pith a night or two, press it dry, and braise it. Nourilo’s oyster-sauce braised pomelo pith is traditionally taken to move qi and ease food stagnation — handy when the appetite drops, there’s belching or nausea, and the bowels feel sluggish.