Masterchef

Diana Chan’s in-a-flash comfort food.

THIS RECIPE IS another family favourite from my mum’s Hokkien heritage. I always remember her cooking it after rushing home from work to get dinner on the table. She would use a pressure cooker to have it ready in 30 minutes if she was short on time, and, voilà, dinner was served!

Tau yu bak is my ultimate comfort food, especially in the colder months. An added bonus is that it freezes really well, just like bolognese or curries, so you can make a big batch to come home to after a long day. When it comes to braised pork, for me, there’s almost nothing better than pairing it with sweet soy sauce. The white peppercorns give the dish a hit of heat without it being too overpowering, while also adding a lovely aroma.

I use a generous amount of garlic and, for best results, don’t peel all the cloves. Instead of dissolving into the sauce, you end up with gloriously soft and tasty bulbs you can mash up with the pork belly. With the addition of hard-boiled eggs cut in half lengthwise, you can load up an almost overwhelming forkful of taste.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe on a cold winter’s night. It is so simple and has so much delicious flavour.

TAU YU BAK SERVES 6

1kg boneless pork belly (skin on) 1 tbs sunflower oil 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled, bruised, plus extra 2 cloves, crushed 1/ 2 tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed 11/ 2 cups (375ml) chicken stock

1/ 2 cup (125ml) dark soy sauce 2 strips pared orange zest and

juice of 1 orange 2 tsp caster sugar 2 star anise 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled Shredded long green shallots, coriander

leaves and steamed rice, to serve

Using a utility knife or small sharp knife, score lines in pork skin 5mm apart.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook pork, turning, for 8 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer pork to a plate and reduce heat to medium. Cook whole garlic cloves, extra crushed garlic and peppercorns for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return pork to pan, add stock, soy, orange zest and juice, sugar and star anise, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and gently simmer for 1 hour for pork to cook through. Transfer pork to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Remove saucepan from heat, skim off fat from cooking liquid and submerge hard-boiled eggs in stock for 15 minutes to colour.

Thickly slice pork and halve eggs, then divide among serving bowls. Spoon over cooking liquid and scatter over shallot and coriander. Serve with steamed rice.