Pork Belly in Black Vinegar - Recipe by Suzie Lee.

Ingredients

500 g pork belly, chopped into large, bite-sized chunks
Vegetable oil for frying

Sauce:

30 g fresh ginger root
1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
4 Tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Shaoxing wine
4 Tbs black vinegar
3 Tbs dark soy sauce
Salt and white pepper

Method

Bring about 1 litre of water to the boil in a cooking pot, then add the pork belly pieces and bring up to the boil again for 10 minutes. This removes any gamey taste and renders some of the pork fat. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat, then add the pork belly pieces and sear for about 5–8 minutes to give them some colour.

Push the pork belly pieces to one side of the wok/pan; some fat should have been released from the pork (if not, add another tablespoon of oil).

To make the sauce, fry off the ginger and garlic in the wok/pan for about 1 minute.

Add the sugar, Shaoxing wine, black vinegar and soy sauce and approximately 250mL of water (it should just cover all the pieces of meat).

Pop the lid on the wok/pan and simmer for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and leave the lid slightly ajar. Allow to cook for a further 15 minutes.

Taste one of the pork belly pieces at the 45-minute mark. If it is still chewy, cook for a further 10–15 minutes with the lid fully on. You want the pork to melt in your mouth and burst with flavour.

Adjust the seasoning to taste by adding more vinegar or sugar, or balance with some salt and pepper - trust your tastebuds!

Top tips:

This dish freezes well and can be kept in the freezer for a month.

If you do not have time, but love the taste of this dish, instead of boiling and browning the pork belly, ?nely slice some pork loin, ?llet or shoulder and ?ash-fry for a couple of minutes. Then follow the next few steps without adding the pork, cooking the sauce for only 15 minutes and using just 125mL of water. Then toss in the ?ash-fried pork pieces and allow to reduce for another couple of minutes, so the sticky sauce coats the pieces of pork.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Simply Chinese Feasts by Suzie Lee published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $45.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Simply Chinese Feasts by Suzie Lee published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $45.