Slow-braised pork belly lacquered in five-spice and tamari, piled onto rice with quick-pickled cucumber and a soft-boiled egg. Weekend cooking that pays you back for days.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
1h 45m
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.35
Difficulty
medium
The belly is braised low and slow until a chopstick slides through it, then reduced in its own liquor to a sticky glaze. Everything else on the bowl is there to cut through it: sharp cucumber, hot mustardy greens, a jammy egg.
Put the pork chunks in a wide pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse - this removes the scum that would otherwise cloud the braise.
Skipping this blanch is the main reason home braises taste muddy.
Return the pork to the dry pan over a medium heat and let it render and colour in its own fat for 5 minutes, turning once.
Sprinkle over the five-spice and stir for 30 seconds, then add the tamari, sherry, sugar, star anise, ginger, garlic and enough water to come two-thirds up the meat.
Cover and simmer very gently for 80 minutes, turning the pieces every 20 minutes, until a chopstick goes through without resistance.
Uncover, raise the heat and boil the liquid down for 8-10 minutes until it is a glossy syrup that coats each piece. Watch it closely at the end.
While it reduces, toss the cucumber ribbons with the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook the rice. Boil the eggs for 6 minutes 30 seconds, cool under the tap and peel.
Steam or blanch the pak choi for 2 minutes until the stems are just tender.
Build the bowls: rice, pork with a spoonful of glaze, pak choi, pickled cucumber and a halved egg. Finish with spring onions.