Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with this melt-in-your-mouth dish from Straight and Marrow
The pork itself takes a little bit of prep work, but the end result is amazingly moist, flavourful and totally worth it.
INGREDIENTS
- 800 g rind-off pork belly
- 6 cups chicken stock
BRINE
- 1/2 cup salt
- 7 cups water
- 1/8 cup honey
- 3 tbsp pickling spice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat up all the brine ingredients in a pot and cool before adding the pork belly. Brine the pork belly in the fridge overnight.
- Rinse off the brine and dry the pork belly with a paper towel.
- Using the roasting pan that you will be braising the belly in, sear the pork skin side down. When a nice golden brown, flip it over and add 1/8 cup of the brine and the chicken stock.
- Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 3 hours at 325 F.
- Make sure the belly is tender with a skewer, looking for little resistance.
- When ready, remove the belly and place on a drip tray to dry off and rest for approximately 30 minutes.
Five-spice Glaze
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 8 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk all ingredients together.
- Cut the pork belly into individual portions.
- In a pan on medium heat with a little bit of oil, sear off the portions of belly for about 3 minutes a side. Spoon some of the glaze onto each portion, and baste it while still on the stove. (Note: This can also be done in the oven if desired. Bake the pork belly at 425 for 10 minutes with the glaze spooned over.)
Green Papaya Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 1 package shredded green papaya (aka cooking papaya, can be found at most Asian grocery stores)
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 50 g toasted almonds
SALAD DRESSING INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- When dressing is complete, add the shredded green papaya. Garnish the salad with picked cilantro and almonds.
Serves 4 to 6