Five Spice Pork Belly
Cubed pork belly braised in a rich & spicy tomato sauce that combines Chinese & Thai flavours.
Try it with coconut rice topped with crispy fried onion rings plus stir-fried greens, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil e.g. groundnut
- 2 medium onions skinned & roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
- 2 cm ginger root peeled & finely chopped or grated
- 1 tsp fennel seeds lightly crushed
- small bunch coriander stems chopped finely, leaves roughly
- 4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
- 0.5 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 500 g pork belly boneless, cut into 2cm cubes
- freshly ground black pepper
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml water
- 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 lime juice only
Instructions
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Put a wok or large frying pan over moderate heat (it will need a lid later).
When hot, add the oil.
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Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring often, until they're softening and starting to brown (10-12 min).
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Stir in the garlic, ginger, fennel seeds and finely chopped coriander stems.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
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Add the Chinese five spice powder and dried chilli flakes and stir for a further minute.
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Add the diced pork belly, season with freshly ground black pepper and stir to coat it in the aromatics.
Stir-fry until the pork is nicely browned.
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Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the coriander leaf and lime juice.
Stir well, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Put a lid on.
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Simmer gently until the pork belly is very tender (30-45 min).
Check regularly and add more water if it's getting dry.
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The sauce should be rich and thick. If necessary, take off the lid and allow it to bubble and reduce for a few minutes.
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Taste, and add more seasoning if needed e.g. more fish sauce or chilli flakes.
Take off the heat, squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the coriander before serving with rice and stir-fried greens.