Crispy Pork Belly (with Tofu and Broccoli in Caramel Sauce)

Some people dream about winning the lottery, scoring the game winning goal in the world cup or a promotion at work.  I dream about crispy pork belly.  I’m a long time eater only second time cooker of the delectable juicy fatty and crisp pork belly.  If it is on the menu, you can almost guarantee that I it will be my order.  The ultimate would be to be able to make delicious pork belly at home.

I had quite a debacle at Whole Foods in my attempt to buy the pork belly.  I bought a small piece over the weekend and today sought to purchase more, to make more of the crispy little devil.  Whole Foods totally thwarted me in their lack of the belly and to top it all off, when I unwrapped my piece there was a bone on the bottom. Even less pork for me.  Luckily Whole Foods hooked me up and were willing to refund my money (and I’ll just buy more).  Long story short, here is a small amount, but I can assure you, I’ll be eating more in the future.

To make my recipe, I used a recipe from Rasa Malaysia.  Its a pretty simple recipe, but I advice a larger, wider piece of pork, which will make crisping the skin much easier.

Ingredients

Based on Rasa Malaysia, Crispy Pork Belly Recipe
Printable Recipe

Serves 4-6 as a side dish or appetizer

~1 pound pork belly
1 teaspoon ginger powder (says spiced, so I used a bit more pepper)
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable or other cooking oil

Wash meat well under cold water and the bring to very light boil for about 10-15 minutes.  Meat will appear to be mostly cooked.

Let sit on a paper towel  in a colander to dry. Dry the fat side with the towel for more crispy skin.

With a paring knife make a few stabs at the meat sides and then rub with the spices, layer in the order above, all over the meat portion, wrap and then let marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.  When you remove the pork, you can score the fat slightly to speed the crisping

Fill a dutch oven or wide rimmed saute pan with oil and when smoking place pork belly in oil and sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Slight cook the other sides of the pork, but only for a minute per side.

Remove from pan and let cool about 5 minutes and then slice into portion.  Serve with sriracha or any other hot sauce and as an appetizer or with additional accompaniments as a main course.

Tofu and Broccoli in Caramel Sauce

Serves 2

2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove water
1 head broccoli
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional to keep vegetarian)
1 tablespoon soy sauce

In a dutch oven, over medium heat, add sugar and water.  Stir to dissolve sugar and continue to heat about 10-12 minutes until the sauce becomes a deep brown caramel color.

Add tofu and stir to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cover for about 3-5 minutes to steam and cook broccoli.  Remove lid and stir, cooking until everything is coated in sauce and broccoli is tender.  Serve with rice noodles.