Sliced Pork Belly with spicy Chili Oil Sauce

 

Every time a festival is celebrated, this dish of boiled white meat (pork belly) must be prepared for worship. After the worship, the boiled white meat will be sliced, and then dipped in soy sauce with chilli to serve with rice.

I'm sharing a special condiment today that I made with hot chilli oil for this dish. Whe preparing it, we need to bring the cooking oil to a boil then gently pour the hot oil into the bowl with the chili flakes and other spices, stirring constantly with a spoon or chopsticks so the chili flakes and spices can absorb the flavor of the hot oil.

There is no seasoning that compares to this hot chilli oil always possesses. Just add a spoonful of it to the food, no matter how much there is, whether it is meat or vegetarian, steamed buns, or noodles. It becomes appetizing and satisfying. I always enjoy making extra chilli oil. You'll want to pour it on everything once you get hooked.

To make the dipping sauce for the boiled white meat is simple and straight forward. Adding garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, and oyster sauce to the chili oil will kick up the level of the sauce. The sauce should taste sweet and sour.

The meat must be thinly cut for this meal. The thinner the meat slices, the better the taste and the easier it is to eat. The cooked pork belly can also be placed in the refrigerator for a bit to help the sliced meat hold its shape and prevent breaking. My knife skills aren't great, but if you can master the sauce's flavour, your dishes won't let you down.

Cucumber slices that had been thinly grated were served with this white meat. This will not only give the food a lovely presentation but also a flavour that is light and non-greasy.

 

INGREDIENTS

 (Chili oil)

 

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp chili flakes

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 cup cooking oil

½ tsp sugar

10 g scallion (white part)

20g sliced ginger

3 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick (5 cm long)

2-star anise

1 stalk of coriander leaves

 

METHOD

 

1. Slice ginger, cut the spring onion and coriander leaves. Combine chili powder, chili flakes, sesame seeds in a heatproof bowl.

2. Combine the scallion, sliced ginger, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and coriander leaves in a saucepan with 1 cup of cooking oil. Heat up the oil, turn to medium low heat once the oil starts bubbling. When the ginger starts to wither and turns golden brown, immediately turn off the heat.

3. Carefully pour oil into the bowl of mixed spices. The oil will bubble for a few seconds and cook the spices. While the oil is bubbling, add in the sugar, stirring constantly with a spoon or chopsticks so the chili flakes and spices can absorb the flavor of the hot oil.

4. The oil is now ready to use. Its flovour will mature if you let it rest for a day, allowing the spices to infuse into the oil.

 

INGREDIENTS

(Boiled white meat)

 

700g pork belly

2 tsp salt

1 cucumber, slice with vegetable peeler

 

Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp chili oil

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp vinegar

Salt and sugar to taste

 

METHOD

 

1. Place the thoroughly cleaned pork belly in a pot with just enough water to cover it. Cover the pot after adding salt to the water. Over high heat, bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the mixture until it is cooked. Take it out of the saucepan and let it cool. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the freezer for one hour. When you cut it, it won't stick to the knife, making it simple to make thin, even slices.

2. Combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix it well and set aside.

3. Slice and cut the cooked boiled meat into small pieces. And carefully slice the cucumber with a vegetable peeler.

4. Arrange the cucumber slices on a serving plate then place the pork slices over the cucumber. Drizzle some dipping sauce on top of the meat or enjoy it by dipping it into the sauce.