Steamed Pork Belly with Cincalok (咸虾酱蒸五花腩)

Today I would like to share a recipe with Malay condiment – cincalok (salty shrimp paste咸虾酱) . The ingredients of this condiment are fermented tiny prawns or krill. Believe me or not. I have never come across this condiment since I was young. The smell is too heavy and fishy for my liking. But now it becomes one of my favourite.

How my dislike became a favourite. I was taught the "5 Second Rule" by someone, which was counting backward from 5,4,3,2, 1... I then had my first bite of the cincalok steaming pork belly. The flavour is wonderful. And now this condiment is always stocked in my pantry. The unfinish cincalok can be stored in the refrigerator.

Cincalok originated in Malacca, Malaysia. Some of my friends recommend buying the one originating from Bintulu, Sarawak. Anyway, I'm not picky about cincalok brands. I basically went with the first brand I saw at the grocery store.

There are various uses of cincalok. Some are making sambal cincalok as cucumber dipping sauce. My sister-in-law even uses this umami cincalok to make kimchi. Steamed pork belly was the first dish I tried with cincalok. I will share the recipe here. It’s a super handy recipe. The ingredients are simple and straight forward. And the best way is to eat it with rice.

INGREDIENTS

600g pork belly

20g ginger, julienned

2-3 pcs (or more) bird eyes chili, chopped

3 tbsp cincalok

1 tsp white pepper

2 tsp corn starch

2 tsp sesame oil

50ml water (or more)

METHOD

1. Thinly slice the pork belly and cut into stripes. Place it into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the julienned ginger, bird eyes chili, cincalok, white pepper, corn starch, and sesame oil to the mixing bowl. Marinade the pork for 30 minutes.

3. Add the water to the mixture. If more sauce is desired, add more water.

4. Spread it out on a flat plate. Steam for 20 minutes at high medium heat.

5. Garnish with some sliced chilies and spring onions.

6. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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