Crisp pork belly recipe

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

To make the spice mix, toast the ingredients in a dry frying pan for 5–10 minutes, or until fragrant. Leave to cool then place in a spice grinder or mortar and grind to a powder.

To make the braising liquor, whisk the stock, wine and bean paste together in a mixing jug, then add the remaining ingredients.

Use a very sharp knife to score the skin of the pork belly in parallel lines, about 1 cm apart. Rub the spice mix and sea salt into the skin, working it well into the incisions. Lift the pork belly into a deep roasting tray that is just large enough to contain it snugly. Pour in enough of the braising liquor to come to just below the skin, so the meat is submerged (make sure all the aromatics are evenly distributed around the pork).

Roast for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160˚C and roast for 2 hours, topping up with braising liquor as needed.

Remove from the oven and lift the meat onto a wire rack set inside another roasting tray. Increase the oven temperature to 200˚C and return the pork to the oven for 25 minutes to crisp the skin.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. When completely cold, use a very sharp knife to cut the pork belly into 3 cm squares. The dish can be prepared to this stage up to a day ahead of time.

When ready to serve, arrange the pork pieces on a roasting tray and heat through in a 200˚C oven for about 20 minutes.

While the pork is warming through, combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a mixing jug then pour onto a serving platter. Arrange the pork on the platter and pile the salad and coriander leaves on top.

SBS cook’s notes