THAI-INSPIRED PORK BELLY WITH HOME-MADE NOODLES

Serves 8

A LITTLE EFFORT

GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling time Cooking: 2 hours

For the pork belly: pork belly 2 x 800 g sea salt a generous pinch dried chillies 2 garlic 8 cloves ginger 2 x 5 cm pieces, thickly sliced masala curry powder 1½ T curry leaves 4 sprigs mustard seeds 1T coconut milk 1 x 400 g can

Woolworths chicken stock concentrate 2 sticks water 1–2 cups

For the noodles: white bread flour 600 g salt ½t water 1 ½ cups

1 Heat the oven’s grill to its maximum. Score the fat of the pork belly and salt generously. Place the pork belly on a cooling rack in a roasting pan to catch the juices and grill for 30 minutes or until bubbly and puffy.

2 Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients except the stock and water in a large, deep baking tray. When the pork is crispy, remove from the oven, reduce the oven’s temperature to 200°C and place the pork into the baking tray. 3 Add the stock and enough water to submerge the pork belly in the liquid but do not cover the fat. 4 Roast for 1½ hours, watching closely to ensure the crackling doesn’t catch. If it does, loosely cover with foil to protect it.

5 Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the juices to absorb the flavour. 6 The noodles can be made in an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment or by hand. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the water until the mixture comes together. 7 Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 10–15 minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth or wrap in clingwrap and chill for 30 minutes. This is a stiff dough, so don’t be tempted to add more water. 8 Once the dough has rested, flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm. If the dough keeps bouncing back, allow it to rest for 5 minutes between rolls – this will help the gluten relax. Fold the dough into layers, dusting liberally with flour between layers. You can either cook the noodles immediately or wrap in clingwrap and chill for 1–2 days until you are ready to cook them. 9 When ready to eat, cut the dough into thick strands using a sharp knife. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 10 minutes. Taste before draining to see if they are cooked to your liking. 10 Heat the pan juices from roasting the pork belly in a pan, toss the hot noodles and serve immediately with the sliced crispy pork belly.

Cook’s note: If you have leftover pork and noodles, mix 2 t masala spice, 1 t salt and 120 g flour, then generously dust the sliced pork belly in the flour. Fry for a few seconds on both sides until crispy and serve with leftover noodles.

WINE: Woolworths Ken Forrester SMG (Shiraz Mourvèdre Grenache) 2017 lemongrass 1 stalk green cardamon pods 6 cinnamon sticks 2 fish sauce 1t soya sauce 1T green chilli 1 desiccated coconut 150 g, toasted

For the rice: jasmine rice 225 g water 6 cups salt, to taste butter 2–3 T

For the green beans: fine green beans 300 g limes 2, juiced fish sauce 1⁄3 cup mint 10 g, chopped basil 5 g, chopped parsley 5 g, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Blend the Malaysian paste ingredients except the desiccated coconut until smooth. Fold in the coconut. Marinate the chicken pieces in the paste for 1 hour. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast for 1 hour. 2 To make the rice, soak the rice in 1 cup water for 15 minutes, then drain. Bring the water to the boil and add the drained rice. Cook for 15–20 minutes. Once cooked, drain and season to taste.

Stir in the butter. 3 To make the green beans, place the beans in a mortar and pestle or Ziploc bag and bash to bruise. Mix the lime juice and fish sauce. Pour over the beans and marinate for 20 minutes. Top with the mint, basil and parsley. 4 Serve the chicken with the rice and beans. HEALTH-CONSCIOUS

WINE: Woolworths Danie De Wet Signature Series Chardonnay 2018