CROWD PLEASER

TRENDY and versatile pulled pork is a winner. Serve it on roosterkoek as a type of a hamburger at a teen party or dish it up with spicy rice at a stokvel gathering. It’s just as nice stuffed into small pitta breads along with a dollop of cream cheese and served as finger food. 3kg deboned shoulder of pork, skin removed salt and pepper

SAUCE

2 onions, chopped 10cm piece of ginger, grated

10 garlic cloves, crushed

2 cassia sticks

2,5ml (¹/2t) crushed aniseed

2,5ml (¹/2t) fennel 2 whole cloves

10ml (2t) mustard powder

10ml (2t) paprika 1 can (400g) tomato purée or 150g tomato paste

125ml (¹/2c) apple or rice vinegar

30ml (2T) soy sauce 160ml (2/3c) honey or half honey and half brown sugar

250ml (1c) chai rooibos tea cornflour to thicken sauce with, if necessary

TO SERVE

12-16 roosterkoek red cabbage pickle mayonnaise (optional) coriander leaves to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 140°C.

1 Season the pork with salt and pepper and put in an ovenproof or casserole dish.

2 Sauce Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the meat.

3 Cover and bake for 2-2½ hours till the meat is soft and almost falls off the bone. Add more tea if needed.

4 Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes so it can brown. Remove the meat and thicken the sauce with cornflour paste if needed.

5 Pull the pork meat apart in long strings with two forks, add to the sauce and mix.

6 TO SERVE Add some pickle to the bottom half of the roosterkoek and top with a good portion of pulled pork and a dollop of mayo

(if using). Add the top half of the roosterkoek and garnish with coriander leaves (if using).

TIP Score the skin and rub salt on both sides. Put on a baking sheet and roast at 200°C until the crackling is crisp. Break into pieces and serve as is to nibble on or with the roosterkoek.