Vietnamese Pork Belly Salad

Method

1. Preheat oven to max (230C or above) on fan force
2. Using a sharp knife make score lines on pork belly approx. 0.5cm apart
3. Place scored pork into a roasting tin
4. For the crackling, start by rubbing a generous amount of salt into the score marks then drizzle with olive oil
5. Put pork belly into the oven for 30-50 minutes, depending on when the pork has formed a nice crackling
6. Once removed lower the oven to 150C
7. For the flavouring, start by adding approx. 80mL of Kikkoman’s soy sauce to the dish
8. Then add approx. 2 teaspoons of crushed palm sugar
9. Roughly chop 1 stick of lemon grass (lengthways)
10. Chop the leaves and ends off a bunch of coriander (the leaves will be used for the salad), then place the stalks under the pork belly
11. Next zest 1 lime into the liquid
12. Now add some water to the dish to bring the braising liquid up to the level of the meat
13. Place the pork belly back into the oven at 150C for 2-3 hours
14. Once removed, put the pork belly aside to cool
15. For the salad dressing, start by zesting and then squeezing the juice of 2 limes into a jar
16. Next add to the jar a chopped clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of crushed palm sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger
17. Place the lid not the jar and give it a good shake
18. Once all the sugar has dissolved, add 1 heaped teaspoon of sesame oil and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
19. Give the jar another good shake
20. For the salad, start by roughly chopping up about a handful of washed coriander and a handful of mint
21. Add the coriander and mint to a bowl together with 2 handfuls of bean shoots
22. Next finely chop the top 1/3 of a washed wombok (approx 1 handful) and add it to the bowl
23. Now cut the cheeks of 1 red capsicum and then slice them lengthways into thin strips
24. Repeat step 23 for 1 carrot and 1 cucumber and then add the sliced vegetables to the bowl
25. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of finely chopped spring onions and about a handful of roughly chopped salted peanuts to the bowl
26. Then pour the salad dressing over the salad and give it a good toss with your hands
27. Now place the cooled pork belly onto a chopping board and begin slicing (be quite aggressive so you get the chunks of crackling together with the meat)
28. Put approx 2/3 of the sliced pork bell into the salad and give it another good mix
29. To serve, place the salad on a large plate
30. Lay some of the remaining pieces of pork belly on top of the salad
31. Finally scatter about a handful of roughly chopped peanuts and mint on top

Recipe by @recipearce