Serves 4

Ingredients

• 800g Australian pork belly, sliced into 4cm thick strips
• 8 slices ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 3”)
• 6 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 4 whole dried chillies
• 1 onion, peeled, halved, wedged
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 500 ml (2 cups) water
• 2 tablespoons oil

Method

1. Rinse the pork belly with boiling water. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, spices and dried chilli and sauté until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
3. Using your spatula, push all the aromatics to one side of the saucepan and add the pork slices skin side down. Sear until slightly brown on all sides. Add the sugar, stir until melted and the pork well coated. Deglaze with Shaoxing wine, then add both soy sauces, water and onion. Stir to combine. Ensure the meat is mostly submerged.
4. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil then lower heat and gently simmer for 1 hour. Turn the pork over, keep the lid ajar, increase the heat to medium and cook for another 30 minutes until the pork is tender and sauce reduced. Remove the pork and carefully slice into bite sized pieces, toss back into the saucepan and continue to cook a further 5-10 minutes until the pork pieces are super tender and nicely glazed with the sauce. Serve with hot steamed rice.