CHAR SIU PORK BELLY

1.5 kg rindless pork belly

MARINADE

• 4 cm-piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 1 long red chilli, sliced

• 1 onion, peeled and sliced

• 5 tbsp treacle sugar

• 2 tsp fennel seeds

• 2 tsp Szechuan pepper

• ½ cinnamon stick

• 5 cloves

• 2 star anise pods

• 2 cups Chinese rice wine vinegar (Shaoxing rice wine)

• 1½ cups soya sauce

• 1 cup water

TO SERVE

• 24 shop-bought Chinese pancakes, heated

• bunch spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

• bunch radishes, sliced thinly

• 2 carrots, sliced thinly

• 1 medium cucumber, sliced thinly

• handful fresh coriander leaves

• sweet chilli sauce (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2. Place the pork belly in a mediumsized roasting tray. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and blend well. Pour the marinade over the pork and cover the tray tightly with tinfoil.

3. Roast the pork for 2½–3 hours, checking periodically to make sure there is still enough cooking liquid. If it looks a little dry, add water. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and uncover the tray. Cook for a further 30–40 minutes, turning frequently, until the pork is glossy and sticky.

4. Remove the pork from the roasting tray and cut into 1cm-thick slices. Drizzle with the sticky pan juices.

5. Place all the serving ingredients on a platter and allow everyone to help themselves, wrapping slices of pork and salad ingredients in pancakes. ❖

tips

• Braise pork neck chops in the marinade.

• Replace the Asian flavours with white wine, onion, garlic and a bouquet garni, and serve the pork over lentils. • Serve the sticky pork in an Asian salad of rice noodles and julienned vegetables, with plenty of mint, coriander leaves and pea shoots.