Roast belly of pork

In special Cantonese establishments, a whole pig is roasted to a rich red colour in a specially built oven. A similar effect can be achieved at home using a piece of pork from the middle section of belly, with the skin or rind left on. Never score the skin and never use pork which has been frozen as the skin will not crisp up to form the distinctive crackling of the dish.

Ingredients

1.4kg (3 lb) belly pork in one piece, without spareribs
about 2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
10ml (2 tsp) red food colouring (optional)

For the marinade

5ml (1 tsp) salt
5ml (1 tsp) sugar
15ml (1 tbsp) ground yellow bean sauce
15ml (1 tbsp) hoisin sauce
2.5ml (½ tsp) thin soy sauce
5ml (1 tsp) five-spice powder

For the dips

thick soy sauce
hoisin sauce

1. Wipe the pork skin or rind dry. Using an onion fork with 10 close-set, sharp tines, or a similar metal piercing instrument, pierce the skin rind vigorously and repeatedly, for about 15-20 minutes or until it is entirely covered with fine holes. Rub the salt all over the skin.

2. Lightly brush some of the food colouring over the skin, if used.

3. Make horizontal cuts on the flesh side, about 2.5cm (1 inch) apart and 1cm (½ inch) deep.

4. Prepare the marinade: mix together the salt, sugar, yellow bean sauce, hoisin sauce, thin soy sauce and five-spice powder in a small bowl.

5. Using a clean brush, smear as much marinade as possible on the flesh side, particularly the grooves. Do not smear any marinade along the sides of the pork otherwise they will be burned when roasted.

6. Using 2 butcher’s meat hooks, hang the pork up in a windy place for about 8 hours or overnight until the skin is very dry. The drier the skin, the better the crackling when roasted.

7. Place the pork, skin side up, on a rack in the top half of the oven over a tray of hot water to catch the drippings. Roast in a preheated oven of 200°C (400°F) mark 6 for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperatures to 190°C (375°F) mark 5 for about 1 hour. Do not open the oven door at all until it is time to test whether the pork is done. Test by piercing the meat with a skewer or chopstick; if it goes in easily and the juices that run out are clear and not pink, the pork is done. The skin will have turned into excellent crackling.

8. Remove the pork to rest on a carving board for a few minutes. Carve into 1-2.5cm (1/2-1 inch) pieces with a cleaver or a sharp, serrated meat carver. Transfer to a warm serving dish and serve.

Taken from Yan-kit So’s book “Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook” with permission. © Yan-kit So. Published by Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7513-0563-4.