STEWED PORK

Serve over rice, as a burger, with noodles or with noodles in soup.

Serves: 2

■ 1 lb (450 g) pork belly

■ 1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

■ 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil 5 tbsp (75 mL) soy sauce

■ 1 cup (250 mL) Shaoxing cooking wine

■ 3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 3-inch (7.5-cm) segments

■ 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

For the spice bag:

■ 3 star anise pods

■ 1 tsp (5 mL) Sichuan peppercorns

■ 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) cinnamon stick

■ 1 tbsp (15 mL) fennel seeds

■ 2 black cardamom pods, cracked

■ 3 bay leaves

■ 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) square dried orange peel

■ 3 cloves

■ 8 white cardamom pods

■ 2 slices dried Chinese licorice root (gan cao)

■ 6 black peppercorns

Tools:

■ Cheesecloth or coffee filter

■ Twine

1. Bundle the spices together in a cheesecloth or coffee filter to create a spice bag.

2. Cut the pork belly into 4-inch (10-cm) cubes.

3. In a medium pot, add the pork belly and submerge in water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove the pork and drain the water from the pot.

4. Clean and thoroughly dry the pot. Add the sugar along with the vegetable oil. Place over medium heat and vigorously stir for 1 minute, or until the sugar is completely melted and just turning golden brown.

5. Add the pork to the pot and cover with water (about 4 cups/ 1 L). Stir to dissolve the syrup on the bottom.

6. Add the remaining ingredients, including your spice bag. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low. Maintain a gentle boil at low heat and cook for 1 hour, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.

7. The leaner the pork, the longer it needs to cook, so check to make sure the meat is tender; you should be able to easily poke into the pork belly using chopsticks.

8. Turn the heat off and allow the pork belly to sit, covered, for 20 minutes.

9. Slice the pork into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces and serve with some of its stew.