INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg pork belly
- 1 Tbs salt
For the spice paste
- 15 dried large red chillies, seeded and blanched in hot water
- 80 to 90g of garlic, peeled (about two whole bulbs)
- 1 Tbs cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric or
- 25g fresh turmeric, peeled
- 25g ginger, peeled
- 1/4 piece of cinnamon stick, about
- 2.5cm long About
- 3 Tbs white vinegar
For cooking
About 3 Tbs white vinegar
Additional salt to taste
METHOD
1. Start preparing the dish two days before you plan to eat it. First, cut the pork belly into chunks of about 2.5cm wide and 2.5cm thick. Keep the skin and layers of fat intact.
2. Place the chunks of pork belly into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbs of salt and mix well. Cover with plastic cling film and refrigerate overnight (at least eight hours).
3. Remove the pork from the fridge. Rinse it, drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Put the pork into a clean glass bowl or earthen pot and set aside.
4. Next, make the spice paste. In a food processor, blend all the ingredients for the spice paste together until a smooth paste is achieved.
5. Mix the spice paste into the pork. Cover the bowl or pot with plastic cling film and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for another eight hours.
6. When you are ready to cook the dish, remove the pork from the fridge.
7. Add the marinated pork to a pot or claypot set over low heat. Add the additional vinegar and salt to taste. Cook until the meat is tender, for about 45 minutes. You can also cook the pork in an electric slow-cooker for a few hours on low heat or until the meat is tender.
8. Once the pork is cooked, turn off the heat. Leave it to rest for two to three hours to allow the flavours to infuse into the pork. The dish can also be refrigerated overnight and eaten the next day.
9. Heat it up to serve. Goes well with bread or a crusty baguette.
Serves six
Note: Chicken can be used as an alternative to pork. Opt for chicken thigh fillets with the skin intact
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