RED-BRAISED BELLY PORK WITH MELTING SOY ONIONS

SERVES 4 500g belly pork in one piece with skin sea salt and black pepper vegetable oil for frying 4 red onions peeled and quartered 6 star anise 6 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp Chinese rice wine 2 tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar TO SERVE cooked Thai jasmine rice Thai basil leaves coriander leaves micro leaves

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. With a sharp knife, make several deep slashes in the pork skin. Place the pork skin-side up in a colander set over the sink and pour a kettle full of boiling water over the top. Drain and dry. Rub the skin with salt, pushing it into all the slashes down to the fat. Season with pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a shallow casserole and fry the pork skin-side down until browned and seared, then lightly brown the other sides until coloured all over (taking care as the joint is liable to spit). Remove from the heat and turn the pork skin-side up.

Tuck the onion quarters around the pork. Add the star anise, soy sauce, rice wine and vinegar, then water so that the meat is about a third submerged. Place the pan in the oven and leave to braise, uncovered, for 1½ hours, adding a splash more water and soy if it gets too dry.

Serve the pork with its onions and soy cooking juices, cooked rice on the side, a scattering of herbs and micro leaves and, if wished, the following easy pickled radish (or similar relish of your choice). EXTRA PICKLE