Double Cooked Pork Belly Stir Fry

• 300g pork belly
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 5 black peppercorns
• a small knob of ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 2 large red chillies a small handful of coriander
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

The Marinade

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornflour

The Sauce

• ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce
• ½ tablespoon rice wine
• ½ tablespoon Chinkiang black rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chilli bean sauce
• 1 teaspoon chilli oil a dash of dark soy sauce

PREPARATION

• To poach the pork, place the pork belly in a mediumedium-sizedepan along with the star anise, cinnamon, cloves and black peppercorns. Cover with hot water, bring to a simmer and poach for at least 45 minutes (for best results, poach for up to 2 hours). Remove the meat from the pan, discarding the poaching liquid, and run under cold water to cool. Once cool, pat the skin dry with kitchen paper, then place on a plate, cover with clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably overnight.

• When you are ready to cook, remove the pork from the fridge and slice it into thin pieces. Place the pieces in a mixing bowl, add the marinade ingredients and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

• Finely slice the ginger and garlic. Slice the onion into thin strips. Dice the chillies and roughly chop the coriander. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or ramekin.

COOKING

• Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat until smoking. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute until slightly softened, then add the ginger, garlic and chillies and cook for a further minute until fragrant and smoky.

• Push the vegetables to the back of your wok, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and return to smoking point before adding the pork slices. Spread them out in one layer and leave to sear for 1 minute until browned, then turn the pork slices over and repeat on the other side.

• Spoon the veg over the top of the pork and pour over the sauce ingredients. Bring to a vigorous boil and stirfry for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat nicely. Spoon onto a serving plate and scatter over the coriander to finish