Recipes: Spiced braised belly of pork

Spiced braised belly of pork

MasterChef champion Dhruv Baker shows step-by-step how to prepare a simple joint for roasting

  • 1½ kg pork belly (skin removed and most of the fat removed then rolled and tied)
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 1 leek , chopped
  • 1 celery stick, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves , bashed
  • 50ml sherry vinegar
  • 50ml rice wine vinegar
  • 150ml soy sauce
  • 50ml mirin
  • 50ml saké
  • 8 star anise
  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • 2 large red dried chillies
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1l chicken stoc

    Method

    1. Heat 50ml oil in a heavy ovenproof casserole with a lid. Season the belly and then brown on all sides in the dish. Lift the meat out of the pan.
    2. Add the vegetables and garlic to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes then add the vinegars, soy, mirin and sake. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Return the pork to the dish and add the stock and the remaining ingredients. Simmer with the lid on for 3-31/2 hours.
    3. Remove the meat, pass the cooking liquor through a sieve into a separate pan. Reduce the liquid by 2/3 to make a thin sauce.
    4. Slice the belly and serve with the sauce, steamed rice and broccoli fried with garlic and ginger.

    PER SERVING

    989 kcalories, protein 70,5g, carbohydrate 16,9g, fat 70 g, saturated fat 23,6g, fibre 1,8g, salt 9,57 g