From the menu...

We contact restaurants and cafes on your behalf to get the inside word on a recipe. Louise Green would like the recipe for braised pork belly.

The succulent five-spice braised pork belly at Forage Kitchen and Bar in Wellington was a hit with Louise Green. ‘‘Its tender meat and crispy crackling is such a treat,’’ she said.

Five spice braised pork belly Serves five

❚ 1kg pork belly

❚ Olive oil

❚ 1⁄4 cup five spice

❚ 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns

❚ Salt to taste

Braising liquid

❚ 1 cup water

❚ 1⁄2 cup Shaoxing rice wine

❚ 1⁄4 cup soy sauce

❚ 2 tablespoon brown sugar Kumara rosti

❚ 2 gold kumara

❚ Coconut oil

❚ 1 teaspoon salt

❚ Salt and pepper to taste

Rub the pork belly with olive oil, then generously rub with five spice, ground peppercorns and salt, and allow the pork to marinate overnight. Place the pork belly in a roasting pan and sear in the oven at 260 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes, then lower heat to 160C. Mix together ingredients for braising liquid and add it to the pan (do not pour over the pork belly). Cook for approximately 21⁄2 hours, until very tender.

For the kumara rosti, grate the gold kumara. Place in a bowl with salt and mix well. Set aside for about 15 minutes. Pick up handfuls of kumara and squeeze as hard as you can to remove all the excess liquid, (the more the better, this prevents a soggy rosti). Place the squeezed kumara in a new bowl and mix through the pepper. Heat coconut oil in a frying pan to a medium heat. Mould the kumara into five flat rounds and fry until golden on both sides.

To serve, stack the pork on the rosti and drizzle with braising liquid. Enjoy with a side of green beans.

❚ Forage Kitchen and Bar, 345 The Terrace, Wellington. Open seven days, noon to 10pm.

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