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Try this recipe for Chinese pork belly, then check out our Chinese drunken chicken, sticky Chinese ribs, Chinese steamed fish and more Chinese-style recipes.

Jeremy Pang says: "Pork belly in any form is one of those ingredients that finds its way into Chinese households all year round. It was one of my dad’s final wishes before he went up to the heavens, and my sister always seems to have a slab of pork belly fat or skin ready for crackling or a soup dumpling craving. In our family, we cook it numerous ways over Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year.

"For this recipe, poaching the belly before cooling, slicing and frying it gives each bite a crisp edge. I’ve come up with a simple way of setting out your prepared ingredients to help you cook them in order. It’s called the ‘wok clock’. Starting at 12 o’clock, you set out your ingredients all the way around the plate, then add them to the wok one at a time. All the prep should be done in advance as everything cooks so quickly – the wok clock is a good way to organise prepped veg and speed up the cooking process. Dunk the shredded red chilli and spring onion in an ice bath for 5 minutes so they curl up, then drain on kitchen paper for an effortless upgraded garnish."

Ingredients

  • 400g pork belly, skin on
  • ½ onion, finely sliced
  • thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 1 large red chilli, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely sliced on the diagonal (optional)
  • 2 sticks with leaves attached celery, finely sliced on the diagonal (optional)
  • coriander leaves, shredded spring onions and shredded red chilli, to garnish (see tip above)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

POACHING LIQUID

  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 tsp white peppercorns
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 litres fresh chicken stock

MARINADE

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp caster sugar
  • ground to make ½ tsp whole black peppercorns

SAUCE

  • 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp shaoxing rice wine

Method

  • STEP 1

    For the poaching liquid, toast the whole spices in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Pour over the stock, season with 1 tsp of sea salt and bring to the boil. Carefully lower in the pork belly, reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour 30 minutes or until the pork is very tender. Remove the pork from the stock to a shallow bowl using tongs, leave to cool completely, cover and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Discard the liquid.

  • STEP 2

    Once chilled, the pork belly will be easy to slice thinly without breaking apart. Cut into 6-8mm slices, transfer to a large bowl and gently massage the marinade ingredients into the pork. Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

  • STEP 3

    Set up a ‘wok clock’ (see intro) to prepare for stir-frying: put the pork on a plate at 12 o’clock followed by the onion, ginger, garlic, chilli, carrot and celery (if using), the sauce and garnishes.

  • STEP 4

    Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a medium-high heat until smoking hot, then add the pork a slice at a time so each one sears well (be careful, it will spit). Once golden brown on one side, turn the slices to brown on the other sides. Turn up the heat to high, add the onions and start to fold them through the pork. Stir-fry for 30 seconds-1 minute.

  • STEP 5

    Follow the wok clock around, adding the ginger, garlic and chillies with 30-second intervals of stir-frying between each addition. Add the carrot and celery, if using, and stir-fry for a further minute. Ensuring the wok is still smoking hot, pour the sauce around the edge. Bring to a vigorous boil and stir well. When the sauce has caramelised around the meat and veg, serve garnished with coriander leaves, spring onions and chilli.

Authors

Jeremy PangTV chef, author and found of School of Wok
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