Braised Pork Belly with Chilies
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram pork belly cut into 5 x 8 cm (2 x 3 ¼ inch) pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- olive oil
- sea salt
- 5 dried long red chillies
- 3 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 piece orange rind
Instructions
- Melt the butter and a splash of oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Put the pork belly into the pan in a single layer and season with sea salt.
- Cook the pork slowly, for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the meat is golden brown and most of the fat has been rendered.
- Pour off and discard most of the fat.
- Meanwhile, put the chillies in a bowl with 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) boiling water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the chillies, reserving the water, and chop roughly.
- Blend or process the chillies, garlic, cumin and the chilli water until smooth.
- Add the chilli sauce, bay leaves and orange rind to the pork and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and braise the meat for about 1.5 hours, or until it is very tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the bay leaves and orange rind and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Divide the pork among four large bowls and serve with steamed jasmine rice (page 244).
Notes
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