Inspired by a recent trip to Singapore where chefs in street stalls work wonders with pork, this dish is quick to make and packs bags of flavour. The steamed rice is a recipe technique that I'm sure you'll fall in love with.
Spicy hoisin pork belly with sticky rice
Serves 4
300g sticky rice
1kg pork belly (boneless and skinless)
20ml sesame oil
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
100g honey
60ml rice wine vinegar
200g dark brown sugar
20g smooth peanut butter
100ml soya sauce
120g black bean paste
5g Chinese five-spice
1 small red chilli
1 bunch of spring onions
200g pak choi
Soak the sticky rice in cold water for two hours then drain.
Set the deep-fat fryer to 160C.
Slice the pork belly 1cm thick then chop it into 2cm dice. Season the pork lightly with salt before placing into the fryer basket in two batches and frying for 12-15 minutes until golden and crisp. Once fried, remove from the fryer on to a plate.
Place the rice into a steamer basket lined with a piece of greaseproof paper and place on top of a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes. Once steamed remove from the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
Now make the sauce. Place a medium saucepan on a medium heat and add the sesame oil. Peel and finely dice the shallot and garlic and add them to the pan, cooking gently until soft and translucent. Next add the honey, rice wine vinegar, sugar, peanut butter, soya sauce, black bean paste, Chinese five-spice and chilli. Stir the mixture until smooth before adding 100ml water. Bring to a simmer, then add the pork belly and cook gently for 30 minutes.
Cut off and discard the base from the pak choi and add the pak choi to the pork, cooking for five minutes to soften. Finish the pork by removing it from the heat. Slice the spring onions and place them on top before serving alongside the steamed rice.
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