Clay Pot–Caramelized Pork Belly and Arrowhead Stew

Inspired by a pork clay-pot dish I enjoyed at Slanted door, Charles Phan’s celebrated Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco, I decided to combine slices of rolled pork belly with arrowhead and braise them in a rich Vietnamese-style stew. Arrowhead is naturally bitter, and in a braised dish, it needs a rounded, rich, sweet flavor to balance it. Caramelizing the sugar and then stirring in the aromatics—shallots, garlic, ginger, and chiles—delivers flavors that enhance both the pork and arrow