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Cantonese-Style Pork Belly
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Cantonese-Style Pork Belly
Braise-then-roast pork belly where the Thermomix tenderises the meat in a five-spice broth and the oven delivers the crackling. A two-tool recipe, honestly labelled.
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Essentials
Ingredients
- 800 g pork belly, skin on, in one piece
- 1 tbsp sea salt (for skin)
- 3 spring onions, cut in 5 cm pieces
- 30 g fresh ginger, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 50 g shaoxing rice wine
- 30 g dark soy sauce
- 30 g light soy sauce
- 15 g sugar
- 500 g water
Method
Preparation
- 1 Score the pork belly skin in a tight crosshatch pattern, about 2 mm deep, with a sharp knife. Pat skin completely dry with paper towels. Rub salt into the scored skin. Leave uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours, dry skin is non-negotiable for crackling.
- 2 Add spring onions, ginger, and garlic to mixing bowl. Chop 3 sec/speed 5. Scrape down.3s / sp5
- 3 Add star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, shaoxing, dark soy, light soy, sugar, and water. Stir 5 sec/speed 2/reverse.5s / sp2
- 4 Cut pork belly in half so it fits the bowl. Nestle pork into the liquid, skin side up. Engage Slow Cook 98C for 2 hours to tenderise the meat.
- 5 Carefully lift pork onto a wire rack set over a baking tray. Pat skin dry again with paper towels, any moisture kills the crackling.
- 6 Oven-finish at 240C (fan-forced) for 30-40 min until skin puffs and crackles. This is the step the Thermomix CANNOT do, the bowl steams rather than dry-roasts. If you skip this step, you get boiled pork, not crispy pork.
- 7 Rest pork on a board 10 min before slicing with a sharp knife.
- 8 Meanwhile, strain 200 g of the braising liquid back into the bowl. Reduce 10 min/Varoma temp/speed 2/measuring cup off into a glaze. Drizzle over sliced pork.
Notes
Tips
- Requires TM6 or TM7 for Slow Cook mode. On TM5, braise in a covered pot on the stove for 2 hours at a gentle simmer instead.
- Dry skin is the single biggest factor in crackling, 24 hours uncovered in the fridge is even better than 2 hours.
- Serve with steamed rice, pickled vegetables, and a drizzle of the reduced glaze.