Chinese style pork belly

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1–2 tbsp olive oil

4lb (1.8kg) pork belly, cut into strips

2 onions, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup dry sherry

splash of rice wine vinegar

juice of 2 oranges

3 star anise

4in (10cm) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely sliced

pinch of five-spice powder

4 cups hot vegetable stock or chicken stock

splash of dark soy sauce

1lb (450g) thick egg noodles

1 tbsp of butter

handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:

1 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large cast-iron pot, add the pork, and cook over high heat for 3–5 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove and set aside. You may need to do this in batches.

2 Heat the remaining oil in the pan (if needed), add the onions, and cook over low heat for 5–8 minutes, or until soft. Season. Raise the heat, add the sherry and rice wine vinegar, and allow to bubble for 5 minutes while the alcohol evaporates.

3 Add the orange juice, star anise, ginger, five-spice powder, stock, and soy sauce and stir well. Return the meat to the pot, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and put in the oven to cook for 2½ hours. Check occasionally and add a little hot water if it is looking dry.

4 Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and cut off any excess fat. Chop into bite-size cubes and return to the pot. Cover and set aside while you cook the noodles. Add the noodles to a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, or until soft. Drain well, then transfer to a shallow serving bowl. Dot with the butter, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve with the pork belly.

Chinese style pork belly