Red Braised Pork Belly (Lo Bak)

White people approach pork belly the first time with caution. But when they taste the meltingness of pork belly in their mouths, they are invariably won over. Of course, there is the health issue. Pork belly - much like duck, fried chicken, the New York strip, cheeseburger soup etc - is a heart attack waiting to happen. Which kinda makes me hope that Guy Fieri works out after every episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Hey, even Chinese people don't eat pork belly everyday.

But on special occasions, this can be a very warming dish. Particularly now that the weather's gotten nippy. I am told that chefs of old used to strain the red braise liquid (lu) and store it for the next braise, so that every new braise added another depth of that rich, salty, sweet, aromatic flavor. I've tried that with mixed success - maybe I shouldn't have put it in the freezer. But it gets used up pretty fast before the next braise anyway. I like using leftover lu to flavor fried rice, hard boil eggs in, crack a soft boil egg in etc.


RED BRAISED PORK BELLY (LO BAK)
Cooking time: 3 hours

A - Meat
1 slab pork belly (1.5 to 2 lbs), without the rind
2 tbsp five spice powder

B - Base
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 oz Chinese rock sugar or 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

C - Braising liquid
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup mushroom flavored dark soy sauce
5 cups chicken stock or water

D - Aromatics
2" galangal (also known as blue ginger or lengkuas) or fresh ginger, thickly sliced
3 scallions or leeks, cut into 1" pieces
3" cinnamon stick
2 star anise

E - Garnish
1 bag of bak choy

*****

A - Rub the meat with the five spice powder and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

B - In a wok or pot (I use my trusty Le Creuset casserole here), heat the oil and sugar on medium heat until all the sugar has melted and turns golden. Add the garlic - be careful as the sugar will bubble up. Turn the heat down so that the sugar doesn't burn.

C - When the garlic is yellow and fragrant and the molasses colored, add the braising liquids. Don't worry if the sugar hardens at first - it will melt back into the liquid in a while. Turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a boil.

D - Add the spices for 1-2 minutes to make sure the aroma of the spices melds into the liquid. Slide the pork in carefully and braise, uncovered, for 3 hours. Make sure that the gravy is constantly on a rolling boil. It should thicken towards the end of the cooking time, reducing about half. But if it is too thick (and therefore salty), add more chicken stock or water as needed.

E - Meanwhile, wash and trim the bak choy, paying particular attention to the dirt inside each leaf that collects at the base. Drain or give it a quick spin in a salad spinner (one of my best kitchen buys!). Just before you are ready to serve, bring a pot of water to boil and slip the bak choy in, head first. Par-boil for about 3 mins - you want the bak choy to still be crisp and retain its nutrients.

Arrange the bak choy on a large platter. With tongs, take the pork belly out and slice into 1cm pieces or 2cmx2cm chunks. Arrange the pork belly slices neatly on top of the bak choy, and ladle some gravy over. Strain and serve the rest of the gravy in a separate bowl.

Serve with white rice.