Roast Pork Belly with Mala Red Cabbage (Serves 8 people)

This recipe is a fusion of classic German cooking with a Sichuan twist. 

The spiced sour red cabbage is the perfect foil for the rich roast pork belly. It’s an amazing dinner party dish because you can cook the cabbage a day before and simply heat it before you serve it. The pork belly is best rested for upwards of 30 minutes so no split-second timing is required to achieve the perfect result. 

For the best result super crunchy crackling the pork belly skin should be very dry before you put it in the oven. The easiest way to achieve this is to place the pork in the fridge, skin side up and uncovered for 2-3 days. You’ll see the colour darken and it will feel dry. 

Eat this comforting meal with a large glass of Aurum or Novas. Cheers. 

Ingredients:

• 2Kg of organic, free range pork belly 

• 1  red cabbage (sliced) 

• 2 onions (sliced) 

• 2 apples (chopped) 

• ½ bottle of red wine vinegar 

• 8 pinches of chilli flakes (ground)

• 6 teaspoons with Szechuan pepper (ground) 

• 4 teaspoons full of white peppercorns (ground)

• 3 teaspoons full of fennel seeds 

• 3 large star anise 

• 2 cinnamon sticks 

• 1 litre of organic chicken stock 

Optional: Sauté some crunchy green veg in butter as a side. 

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Liberally sprinkle the meat side of the pork belly with salt and pepper, and then lightly coat the skin side with olive oil. Now sprinkle the skin side with salt. Place it in the middle of the oven and cook for 3-4 hours. 

3. In a large saucepan, fry the onions until lightly golden brown on medium heat (5-6), then add everything else to the pan in any order, turning it down to low heat (1-2). Put the lid on slightly ajar and stir occasionally. It will be done in 1 hour. You are looking for there to be a little liquid left in the pan - this creates a nice sauce on the plate. Once done, I cover and allow the cabbage to cool. Before serving you just need to reheat it with some added butter. 

4. The skin should now be golden and crunchy. But to ensure it’s as good as it gets, turn your oven up to its maximum temperature. Don’t walk away and keep checking it regularly - the process shouldn’t take more than 5-10 mins. You are watching for the whole top to go golden brown. Stop as soon as you see charred areas starting to show. A little speckling is fine, but too much will taste bad. 

5. Take the meat out of the oven and rest (uncovered) for at least 30 minutes before serving.