Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 700g pork belly, diced
• 4 eschalots, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 star anise
• 8cm piece ginger, cut into fine batons
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 100g dark palm sugar
• 4 green shallots, finely sliced
• ½ cup peanuts, roasted, chopped
• ½ bunch coriander, leaves picked
• 12 Vietnamese mint leaves (available from Asian grocers)
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into fine batons
• Steamed rice, to serve
Method
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Heat a wok over a high heat. Add oil and pork belly, and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned. Remove pork and set aside. Put eschalots, garlic, star anise and ½ of the ginger in wok and cook for 3 minutes or until aromatic.
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Return pork to wok, along with soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar and enough water to just cover pork. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 1½ hours or until pork is tender, topping up water when necessary.
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Increase heat to high and cook for a further 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Garnish with shallots, peanuts, herbs, cucumber and remaining ginger, and serve with steamed rice on the side.