Ginger Slow-cooked Pork Belly

Five spice. A mere sprinkling of this Chinese blend is all you need – imho – to create a subtle flavour that permeates the meat. In my experience, people are far too liberal with five spice, and I all too often wonder if I’ll ever stop tasting cloves. Seriously, that stuff is the malefactor of spices if you treat it wrong.

I served my pork belly with green beans fried in butter and garlic. You could easily go with rice (or cauliflower rice!), any stir-fried vegetables, or even a salad. To be perfectly frank though, I think what really matters are the melting layers of pork. There’s something about pork belly, the way it’s stratified and ever tender, that leads me to one word: luscious.

This recipe can be gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, nut-free, and dairy-free.

Serves 2-3, depending on accompaniments

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

– 600 grams pork belly (approximately), in one piece

– 1 teaspoon (Chinese) five spice mix

– 1 small red chilli, finely sliced

– 1 x 2-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced

– 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

– 1 Tablespoon sesame oil

– 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)

Method:

1. Place the pork belly, skin side down, in your slow cooker. Evenly toss over the remaining ingredients and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours (or until tender), turning half way.

2. Remove the pork from your slow cooker and decant the remaining liquid into a saucepan. Boil this on your stove, over a high heat, until reduced and syrupy.

3. Slice the pork belly and serve with vegetables of choice, making sure you drizzle over a generous amount of sauce. Enjoy! 🙂

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