Crispy Pork Belly
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 1 to 2 servings
- Total: 12 hr (includes overnight chilling time)
- Active: 2 hr 10 min
Ingredients
Chile Gastrique:
2 cups Nam Pla Sauce, recipe follows
Pork Belly:
2 cups canola oil
3 slices Tender Pork Belly, recipe follows, cut 1/2-inch thick by 3-inches long
1 cup green papaya, julienned on a mandoline
1/2 cup carrot, julienned on a mandoline
2 ounces ripe Roma tomato, diced
1 ounce red onion, shaved or sliced thin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 ounces Nam Pla Sauce, recipe follows
1 ounce macadamia nuts, diced and roasted
Nam Pla Sauce:
1 cup honey
1 cup lime juice
3/4 cup good-quality fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
Tender Pork Belly:
Nonstick spray, for the pan
2 tablespoons rough sliced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, smashed and rough cut
1 stalk scallion, rough cut
3 to 4 pounds pork belly, skin on
1 cup mirin
1 cup sake
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
Directions
Special equipment:
a mandoline; a deep-fry thermometer; a fry basket- For the chile gastrique: In a medium saucepan, bring the Nam Pla to a boil. Lower to a simmer and reduce the sauce by half. Chill.
- For the pork belly: Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a medium pot.
- Carefully lower the Pork Belly into the oil using a fry basket. (Make sure there is no excess moisture on the pork. This can cause splattering.) Fry the pork until the skin and flesh are very crispy and have darkened significantly. Place on a plate lined with paper towels and quickly build the salad.
- In a small bowl, toss together the green papaya, carrot, tomato, onion, half of each of the herbs and the Nam Pla. Mix with tongs to incorporate.
- Place the mixed green papaya salad on a decorative plate. Form a bed for the pork.
- Place the pork, slightly fanned out, on the green papaya salad. Drizzle the pork generously with 1 ounce chile gastrique (save the remainder for another use). Sprinkle the dish with diced macadamia nuts and the remaining herbs.
Nam Pla Sauce:
- Mix together the honey, lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic and sambal in a bowl. Best made a couple days in advance to allow flavors to marry.
Tender Pork Belly:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Lightly spray the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle over the ginger, garlic and scallion.
- Rinse the pork belly under running cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the pork over the aromatics in the pan, skin-side up. Mix the mirin, sake, teriyaki and sambal in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the top of the pork belly. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake until fork-tender, about 3 hours.
- Remove the pork and place another similar dish on top as a weight. Use cans or other heavy items to create additional weight. Press the pork, refrigerated, overnight. This will make the pork even in thickness and allow for a better fry. Slice the following day, once the pork has chilled and set completely.