Phuket pork belly stew

Ingredients METHOD

Put the garlic, coriander stalks and black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste. Set aside. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. When it begins to shimmer, toss in the pork belly cubes and brown on all sides. This should take about five minutes but you might need to do this in batches. Transfer the browned meat to a plate and set aside.

Add the cinnamon stick and star anise to the remaining oil in the pan and let the spices infuse for about 30 seconds. Return the meat to the pan and add the sugar, soy sauces and the oyster sauce. Stir well until the sugar dissolves and then add the Chinese rice wine, the prepared paste and just enough water to cover the meat. Simmer for about two hours, or until the pork is fall-apart tender. You might need to top up with a little water from time to time.

When the pork is ready, taste and adjust the flavours as necessary, then stir in the chopped coriander and serve.

METHOD

Soak the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, make the dressing: place the soaked dried shrimp, garlic, coriander stalks, bird’s eye chillies and palm sugar in a pestle and mortar and pound to a smooth paste. Pour in the fish sauce and lime juice and stir well. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking and set this dressing aside.

Put the tomatoes, shallots and celery in a salad bowl. Now bring a saucepan of water to a boil over a medium-high heat and add the soaked glass noodles to cook for about two minutes. Remove the noodles with tongs or a slotted spoon and place in a sieve to drain away the excess water. Set aside.

Pour out all but 125ml of the water in the pan and return to the heat. Add the prawns and cook them for about two minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer with a slotted spoon to rest on the hot noodles.

Add the minced pork to the remaining water and turn the heat up to high. Stir continuously, breaking the pork up as you do into the water. Cook until the water has dissolved and the pork is cooked through. This should take about five minutes.

Put the prawns on top of the salad vegetables and add the cooked pork to the bowl too. Top with the cooked glass noodles and then pour the dressing all over the noodles. This will help separate them. Add the chopped roasted cashews and coriander leaves and stir it all up. Serve immediately or place in the fridge to cool for about 30 minutes.

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