Serves 4
Prep time | 15 minutes
Cooking time | 2 hours 15 minutes + chilling time
• Chinese Chilli Caramel Pork | This dish packs a powerful flavour punch. It’s delicious with steamed or fried rice and some steamed pak choi.
Ingredients
• 1.5kg piece boneless pork belly, skin removed
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 4 small red chillies, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 lime cut into wedges
• 2 shallots, sliced finely on the diagonal
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Place the pork belly on a wire rack over a baking dish and bake for 2 hours or until the pork is falling-apart tender and the fat has rendered out.
3. Place the pork on a plate with another plate on top of it to weigh it down, and refrigerate for a couple of hours (or overnight.)
4. When the pork is chilled, slice it across the grain into 5mm thick pieces.
5. Place the sugar in a non-stick chef pan over medium-high heat. It will start to go brown in places – stir with a silicone spoon. When the sugar is a uniform dark caramel colour, add the vinegar and soy sauce. Be careful at this stage as it may sputter, and try to solidify.
6. Add the chilli and garlic and lime juice, and stir to combine. Place the pork carefully in the pan, moving around to coat.
7. Serve on a platter topped with the chopped shallots and with lime wedges.
