DONG PO SLOW-BRAISED PORK BELLY

Originating from Hangzhou located just south of Shanghai，this dish is named after a famous poet from the Song Dynasty，Su Dongpo.I was lucky enough to witness its preparation first hand while I was in the city，where the chef slow braises the pork and then finely slices it into an incredible pyramid formation-an eye-boggling spectacle.However，in the restaurant，I prefer to keep the pork incubes，which results in a fuller，richer mouthfeel，and we serve it with pickled daikon and carrot，which adds freshness to the rich sauce.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1kg pork belly

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

green parts of 6 spring onions，cut into 2cm sections

10g peeled fresh root ginger，sliced

100g rock sugar

125ml Shaoxing rice wine

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

3Chinese chives

To garnish

Pickled Daikon&Carrot，finely diced

Lotus Root Crisps

1.Remove the top layer of skin from the pork belly and reserve it.

2.Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the pork belly for 15 minutes.Drain and rinse under cold running water.

3.Cut the pork belly into 3cm chunks.

4.Place all the remaining ingredients，except the Chinese chives，in a large wok with a lid and put the pork on top along with the reserved pork skin.

5.Bring to the boil，then cover the pan with the lid and gently simmer for 212 hours or until tender.

6.Leave the pork belly in the cooking liquor to cool.

7.Before serving，reheat the pork and sauce mixture and reduce it to a thick，treacly consistency. Add the Chinese chives for the final 30 seconds of cooking time.Serve garnished with finely diced Pickled Daikon and Carrot and Lotus Root Crisps.

CHEF’S TIP

It is important to remove the top layer of skin to leave a meltingly soft layer of fat on the pork belly，while adding the skin back into the cooking liquor gives it extra body as its natural gelatine is released.

hancheng

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