Name: Caramel pork
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4
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

Caramel pork

Tender chunks of pork belly are lacquered with a rich glaze and a big hit of star anise. After simmering for 1½ hours, it’ll melt in your mouth.

Serves 4

Prep

10M

Cook

1H 50M

Total

Skip to Recipe

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

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.

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.

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.

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens promotes inspired living for home loving Australians. With a total audience reach of over six million, Better Homes and Gardens is the country’s original and most successful multi-platform brand, combining a TV show, power-house print magazine and thriving digital and social platforms.

Instagram Facebook

Ingredients

Method

Related

Related stories