INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup reduced soy sauce

• ½ cup orange juice

• 1/3 cup Chinese cooking wine

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ½ cup caster sugar 

• 2 tsp caster sugar (dressing)

• ¼ cup honey

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 3 tsp fish sauce

• ½ bunch mint

• 2 hand full of mixed lettuce

•  3cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 long red chilli

• 6 whole star anise

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 1.5 kg piece boneless pork belly

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 bunch Thai Basil (normal if you can’t get Thai)

• ½ bunch corriander

• ¼ of a pineapple diced

 

 METHOD

Pork

Combine soy sauce, ½ cup water, orange juice, cooking wine, brown sugar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, star anise and cinnamon sticks in a heavy-based baking pan.

Preheat oven to 220˚C/200˚C fan-forced.

Using a sharp knife, cut pork rind into a honeycomb pattern at 1cm intervals. Rub pork rind with oil and then rub in the salt.

Place pork belly into soy sauce mixture (ensuring that the pork rind is not covered by the soy sauce mixture).

Roast for 40 minutes or until rind is golden and crisp.

Add 1 cup of water to the cooking liquid. Roast for a further 30-35 minutes or until pork is just cooked through.

Place pork onto a chopping board. Cover loosely with foil and set aside.

Salad

Loosely chop all herbs, toss with the mixed lettuce, bean shoots, pineapple and crispy noodles.

Dress salad just before you serve.

Dressing

Mix juice of 1 lime, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp caster sugar, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp fish sauce in a bowl or in a small jar.

Caramel

Place ½ cup of caster sugar in a small pot and cover with water.

Add 1 long split chili, 2 star anise and 1 cinnamon stick and bring to the boil.

Simmer

Brush the sides with a pastry brush to prevent it caramelising on the sides.

Once it has reduced by about half and the caramel coats the back of a spoon, add 2 tsp of fish sauce.

Continue to simmer another minutes or so until the caramel reaches the desired consistency.

Strain and keep warm so you can pour and it doesn't set.