SHANGHAI STICKY BRAISED PORK BELLY

Preparation time 15 mins Cooking time 50 mins Serves 12

1kg boneless pork belly, skin on 2 Tbsp caster sugar

1 Tbsp water, plus extra 700ml 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 green shallots, roughly chopped, plus extra thinly sliced into lengths to garnish 2 Tbsp thinly sliced matchsticks

of fresh ginger

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

Sliced red chilli, to garnish Coriander leaves, to garnish

SEASONING

3 Tbsp Lee Kum Kee

Premium Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Lee Kum Kee Premium

Dark Soy Sauce

1 tsp Lee Kum Kee Panda

Brand Oyster Sauce

3 Tbsp Shaoxing wine

STEP 1 Cut pork belly into 3cm cubes. Place on a wire rack in the sink and pour over a kettle full of boiling water, then drain. Set aside to dry for 5 minutes. STEP 2 Put sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir until sugar has dissolved, then add pork and oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until pork is lightly browned all over, stirring more regularly towards the end of the cooking time. Be careful, as the pork belly may spit fat during the last

5 or so minutes of cooking.

STEP 3 Add shallot, ginger, star anise and cinnamon, and cook for 1 minute, then stir in extra water and seasoning ingredients. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork is tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick sticky sauce that completely coats pork. STEP 4 Arrange pork belly on a platter and garnish with chilli, coriander and extra shallots. Serve immediately with small skewers or toothpicks. 2 tsp fine salt

1 tsp caster sugar

500g pork mince

3-4 Chinese cabbage leaves (wombok) 270g packet Shanghai wonton skins (available from large supermarkets or Asian grocers) Black sesame seeds, to garnish Micro herbs, to garnish

Panda Brand Dumpling

Soy Sauce, to serve

STEP 1 Put ginger and green shallot in a heat-proof bowl and add 50ml boiling water. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes.

STEP 2 Meanwhile, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and sugar in a small bowl.

STEP 3 Put pork mince in a large bowl, add ginger water mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add soy sauce mixture and mix again until incorporated. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

STEP 4 Meanwhile, to prepare your bamboo steamer, cover the base of a large bamboo or metal steamer with a single layer of cabbage leaves. Set aside.

STEP 5 To assemble dumplings, spoon 2 teaspoon of pork mixture into centre of a wonton skin. Brush edges of skin with a little water. Bring one corner of wrapper up around filling, then pleat remaining wonton skin around filling, in one direction, until completely covered. Twist the top to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining wonton skins and pork mixture to make 40 dumplings.

STEP 6 Arrange dumplings in prepared steamer. Cover with a lid and sit over a large saucepan half-filled with boiling water. Steam dumplings for 12 minutes, or until filling is cooked through and wonton skins are tender.

STEP 7 Serve dumplings in one large steamer basket, or transfer to small decorative steamer baskets or plates. Garnish with sesame seeds and micro herbs, and serve immediately with dumpling soy sauce on the side.

Shanghai sticky braised pork belly Simple Shanghai pork dumplings