500 gm lean pork belly, skin on
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
10 gm piece ginger, crushed
2 tbsp chopped spring onion
or coriander
GARLIC AND CHILLI SAUCE
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 spring onion, finely
chopped
1 long red or green chilli,
finely chopped
2 tbsp Sichuan dark soy
sauce (see note) or regular
dark soy sauce
1 tbsp clear rice vinegar,
or to taste
¼ tsp ground Sichuan
peppercorns
2 tsp chilli oil, or to taste
1 Place pork in a large saucepan
and cover with cold water. Bring
to the boil, reduce heat and
simmer for 5 minutes, then
drain and rinse pork and pan.
Return pork to the pan, add
Shaoxing rice wine and ginger,
season with salt, cover with cold
water and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to a bare simmer
and cook until pork is just tender
(20-30 minutes; to test, insert a
knife into the thickest part – if
the juices run clear, it’s cooked).
Turn off the heat and leave the
pork to steep for 15 minutes.
2 Remove the pork from the
poaching liquid (reserve for
another use), cool completely,then cover with plastic wrap and
refrigerate overnight to firm up.
3 For the garlic and chilli sauce,
mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
4 To serve, slice rind off the
pork, then slice pork across
the grain into paper-thin slices,
arrange on a serving plate, pour
a little sauce over and scatter
with spring onion or coriander.
NoteTo make Sichuan dark
soy sauce, simmer 500ml soy
sauce, 100gm brown or rock
sugar, 1 star anise, 1 small piece
cinnamon bark, 1 piece liquorice
and 1 black cardamom pod
simmer until reduced by
a third. Cool, then strain.
Store in the refrigerator.➤Sichuan sliced pork with garlic and
chilli sauceSERVES 4-6
“This popular cold starter, also known as white-cut pork, is perfect for
entertaining or any family meal,” says Tan. “The technique is used
throughout China, but the dish doesn’t appear on restaurant menus
because it’s considered too plebeian. Traditionally, the meat is
poached in water (although some cooks use chicken stock) until it’s
just cooked, then sliced and served with a dipping sauce. I’ve used
thick-end belly pork, but chicken and lamb work equally well. This is
best made a day in advance to allow the meat to firm up before it’s
thinly sliced. Here I serve it with a Sichuan dipping sauce.”