Braised Pork Belly, Wombok, Cucumber Salad

First quiet weekend in a while, so I thought I would try braising some pork belly (actually, this was the cheaper substitute of pork spare ribs, but essentially the same texture) to chill in the fridge as a sandwich filler for the week.

Come dinner time, I couldn't help myself and turned some of the braised pork belly into a nice refreshing salad. And now I finally understand what 'pulled meat' is. I've split up the recipes for the braise and the salad. For the salad, you can substitute the pork with other meats including BBQ chicken.

braised pork belly, wombok, cucumber salad

Braised Pork Belly

Ingredients

• Pork spare ribs (or cut pork belly into ~2cm x 8cm pieces)
• 2 carrots, chopped into rough chunks
• 2 stalks spring onion
• 3 sprigs coriander
• ~5 Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp soybean paste
• Spices: Chinese five spice, cinnamon, cumin, chilli
• Honey to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Remove any bones from the pork spare ribs and use these to form the base of the masterstock. If using pork belly, just add beef or chicken stock instead.
• Put bones in a pot half filled with boiling water. Add the spices, spring onion, coriander and Sichuan peppercorns. Simmer for half an hour (or longer if time allows).
• Pour in soy sauce, rice wine and soybean paste. Bring to boil, then add in pork pieces and carrots. Drizzle some honey over the pork pieces. 
• Cover and simmer for at least an hour. The longer you cook it, the more tender the pork will be. Taste the sauce at intervals, and add more soy sauce or water as needed.

Salad

Ingredients

• 1 leaf wombok, shredded
• 1/2 cucumber, julienned
• Honey
• Lemon juice

Method

• Drain two pieces of pork. Slice into 1cm pieces. The meatier part will start to pull as you cut it.
• Layer plate with wombok and cucumber. Add carrots from the braising liquid. Top with sliced pork.
• Drizzle with some of the braising liquid, then a little honey and lemon juice to finish.