Braised Pork Belly with Five Spice and Chinese Greens

Name: Braised Pork Belly with Five Spice and Chinese Greens
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tsp chinese five spice powder; 50 g (1⅓ oz) root ginger, peeled and finely chopped; 1 star anise; 1 small onion, roughly chopped; 1 medium mild chilli, deseeded and sliced; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) pork belly, boned, rind removed, and cut into 8 x 4 cm (3¼ x 1½-inch) chunks; 2 tbsp sesame oil; bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced on the angle; a few sprigs of coriander; steamed pak or bok choi, to serve; 10-15 g (¼-½ oz) cornflour; 150 g (5½ oz) fresh shiitake mushrooms; 50 ml (2 fl oz) light soy sauce; 1.5 litres (2¾ pints) beef stock (good cubes will do); plain flour, for dusting

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

The Simple Art of Marrying Food and Wine

By Malcolm Gluck and Mark Hix

Published 2005

About

UNFORTUNATELY, PORK BELLY ISN’T USED MUCH THESE DAYS. I think the fat puts people off. However, the long cooking in this recipe softens and renders most of the fat away, while at the same time the pork takes on the flavours of the spices. It’s a cheap cut of meat with an excellent flavour - better than some of the more expensive and more popular prime cuts.