Cantonese Roasted Pork Belly

In Cantonese speaking, roasted meat is called “Siu Yuk” while roasted pork belly is called “Siu Nan”. It is very common to order them in Chinese restaurants, like “Char Siu” (the Chinese BBQ pork).  I love Cantonese Roasted Pork Belly very much.  The skin is crispy and the meat is moisture and juicy.  My dad loves it too.  When I was young, my dad always ordered this yummy dish when we had dinner in Chinese restaurants.  It is easy to cook but it takes time to prepare and marinate it.  I always marinate it overnight for better texture and flavor.  I enjoy cooking this for my family.  Hope all of you like it!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Marinating time: overnight in fridge

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-         650g pork belly with skin

-         1L water

Seasoning for meat:

-         ½ tbsp Shaoxing wine

-         2½ tsp table salt

-         1 tsp sugar

-         ¾ tsp five spice powder

Seasoning for skin:

-         1 tsp table salt

-         ¼ tsp vinegar

Tools required:

-         1 meat tenderizer needle / a scriber needle

-         2 metal kebab skewers / bamboo skewers

Method:

1.	Scrap away the hair on the skin and clean.  Thread the pork belly on the metal/bamboo skewers.  Then boil water in a saucepan or wok over medium heat and simmer the pork belly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, use the paper towel to pat the meat dry and let it cool down.
2.	Use a meat tenderizer needle or a thick needle to poke the pig skin until it is full of small holes.  Coat the pig skin with a thin layer of vinegar.
3.	In a small mixing bowl, mix salt, sugar and five spice powder well.  Rub the mixture all over the meat except the skin.  Use the aluminium foil to cover the pork belly except the skin.  Leave the pork belly in the fridge to marinate overnight.
4.	Preheat the oven at 220°c.
5.	Lay the marinated pork belly, skin-side up, on a rack in a roasting tray. Poke the pig skin again and scatter it with salt.  Place the roasting tray at the top of the oven.  Then roast it at 220°c for 15-20 minutes until the skin starts to bubble and turn to golden brown.
6.	In the meantime, uncover the pork belly and place the rack in the middle of the oven.  Reduce to 180°c and roast the pork for 30-35 minutes.  Remove the meat carefully from the oven and leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes.
7.	Chop the pork belly into small pieces and ready to serve with mustard.
	Tips: i. After I tried this recipe several times, I found it’s perfect to brush the vinegar and salt on the skin to make it crispy.  I found some recipes which suggest using baking soda instead of vinegar.  Although the skin is crispy, it is too hard and the texture is not good. ii. If you have time, try to poke as many holes as possible on the skin in order to make it crispy.  At the first time, I failed because I only poke some holes on the skin.