Name: Lemongrass pork belly with green mango salad
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 80g tube lemongrass paste; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tsp finely grated ginger; 1.5kg piece pork belly; 1 ruby red grapefruit; 150g mixed salad leaves; 1 green mango, cut into matchsticks; 1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted salted peanuts; 1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly torn; 3/4 cup coriander sprigs; 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce; 1 tsp fish sauce; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

The perfect main for any feast, this lemongrass pork belly with green mango salad is an enticing combination of flavours.

The preparation requires a blend of lemongrass paste, garlic, and ginger, creating a marinade that transforms the 1.5kg pork belly into a masterpiece. The overnight marination ensures the flavours penetrate the meat. The crispy golden crackling of the roasted pork belly goes perfectly with the fresh green mango salad.

Note: In addition to the preparation times mentioned above, this recipe requires overnight marinating.

Ingredients

80g tube lemongrass paste

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp finely grated ginger

1.5kg piece pork belly

1 ruby red grapefruit

150g mixed salad leaves

1 green mango, cut into matchsticks

1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted salted peanuts

1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly torn

3/4 cup coriander sprigs

2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Method

Combine lemongrass, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Put pork, skin-side down, in a baking paper-lined roasting pan. Spoon lemongrass mixture over flesh of pork. Carefully turn over so marinade is underneath pork. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 140°C fan-forced (160°C conventional). Roast pork for 1 hour. Increase heat to 200°C fan-forced (220°C conventional). Roast for a further 20-25 minutes or until rind is golden and crackled. Cover loosely with foil. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.

Meanwhile, peel grapefruit, then slice over a bowl to catch juice, being careful not to slice through membrane. Put segments in a large serving bowl. Squeeze membrane over bowl with juice to release excess juice (you’ll need 2 tablespoons of juice).

Combine salad leaves, mango, peanuts and herbs with the grapefruit segments in the large serving bowl.

Whisk chilli sauce, fish sauce and reserved grapefruit juice in a jug. Drizzle over salad. Toss gently.

Slice pork, season and serve with green mango salad.

How do you cook pork belly so it’s not tough?

Cooking pork belly perfectly combines slow cooking and high heat to achieve perfect results. One popular method is to slow-cook the pork belly at a low temperature initially to render the fat and break down collagen, making it more tender. Following this, a high-heat finish is used to make the skin nice and crispy.

When pork belly is cooked in a hurry or without the proper technique, the collagen doesn’t have adequate time to dissolve, resulting in toughness.

Why does pork belly get crispy?

The skin of pork belly gets nice and crispy when cooked under high heat because of the layer of fat underneath the skin. Applying a dry rub or salt to the skin before cooking can produce a crispy texture.