Home Cooking Column - By Barbara Collins

Pork belly is a really inexpensive cut that is so full of flavour. The Chinese can’t understand why we don’t use it more. It’s one of their favourites and they really know how to get the best out of it. That’s why this week’s recipe is Chinese-style. I got it from a new book called Dim Sum. There aren’t many ingredients but they earn their keep. Get them in and you will use them again and again. They will be in your local Asian supermarket or online.

Ingredients

For 6 (generously)
1 kg piece of pork belly
25g salt
30ml rice vinegar

For the rub

20g fermented red bean curd (you could do without this if you couldn’t get hold of it)
Pinch of Chinese Five Spice
Good pinch of sea salt and white pepper
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
Pinch of star anise powder
Pinch of fennel powder

Method

Mix the sea salt and rice vinegar well. Score the pork belly skin with a skewer or knife, then rub all over with salt vinegar mix.

Mix all ingredients for rub mix well in a small bowl. Spread the rub mix on the meat side of the pork belly. Dry skin with a paper towel or hair dryer.
 
Keep in the fridge for 10 hours. Glaze with salt vinegar mix before cooking in the oven. Preheat oven to 200ºC. Place pork belly and rack on a sheet pan. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove and brush skin with rice vinegar. Grill on maximum heat for 10 minutes to thoroughly crisp skin. Remove the meat and let rest for 30 minutes before cutting into cubes.

Tip

Dim Sum by Janice Wong and Ma Jian Jun (£25, Gatehouse Publishing) is out now. 

Contact Barbara @thegoodchinaset or on collib40@googlemail.com.

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