Meat Recipes - Braised Pork Belly with Greens Recipe

Ingredients

• 800g/1 3/4lb pork belly, trimmed and cut into 12 pieces

• 400ml/1 2/3 cups beef stock

• 75ml/5 tbsp soy sauce

• finely grated rind and juice of 1 large orange

• 15ml/1 tbsp finely shredded fresh root ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, sliced

• 15ml/1 tbsp hot chili powder

• 15ml/1 tbsp muscovado (molasses) sugar

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 3 cloves

• 10 black peppercorns

• 2-3 star anise

• steamed greens and rice, to serve

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Place the pork in a wok and pour over water to cover. Bring the water to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat and cook gently for 30 minutes.

2. Drain the pork and return to the wok with the stock, soy sauce, orange rind and juice, ginger, garlic, chili powder, muscovado sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns and star anise.

3. Pour over water to just cover the pork belly pieces and cook on a high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.

4. Cover the wok tightly with a lid, then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the pork from sticking to the base of the wok.

5. Taste the sauce and season to taste. You are unlikely to need pepper with peppercorns a prime ingredient, but may wish to add a little salt. Serve in warmed bowls.

Note: Pork belly becomes meltingly tender in this slow-braised dish flavored with orange, cinnamon, star anise and ginger. The flavors meld and mellow during cooking to produce a rich, complex, rounded taste. Serve simply with rice and steamed greens.