4. Spiced Draised Pork Belly With Pickled Turnip Salad

4.   Spiced braised pork belly with pickled turnip salad(Php.22.00)

I almost feel obliged to break out into a round of applause when the veal tongue arrives, an exquisitely plated dish that marries colour with elegance. A slick of vivid green salsa verde carries a tide of veal tongue, pickled carrot, and baby turnips in candy pink. The veal tongue, seared to a gentle crisp on one side, is soft and tender. This is easily my favourite dish of the day. Pound Two brings us pork belly, two thick slabs of fat-ribboned pork that melts in the mouth, topped with a tile of crisp pork crackling. A mound of kimchee provides a Korean touch to this dish, lengths of chilli pickled Chinese cabbage that pack some punch and offset the richness of the pork.

Ingredient:
500 gm pork belly marinade with
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar or to taste

Other ingredients:
4 whole garlic pods with skin on

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 tbsp dark caramel sauce (I use Cheong Chan brand)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar or to taste

Salt to taste

1 cup water

1 tsp of cooking oil

Direction:

1. Marinate pork for several hours or overnight.
2. Heat a heavy based cast iron pot on medium heat, add in vegetable oil, I use Le Cruset pot to good use again.
3. Put in marinated pork to brown.
4. Add garlic pods, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves.
5. Pour in half cup of water and cook covered and bring to boil.
6. Add in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste.
7. Turn to low heat. Add half cup of water and simmer till gravy is thick and meat is tender. This roughly takes about 1.5hrs-2hrs.
8. If gravy is drying out, just add more water. Likewise if meat is not tender enough, just add water and simmer for a longer time.
9. To serve, cut pork into slices and add gravy to the dish. Garnish with spring onion. Served hot with rice.