Name: Crisp pork, banana blossom and tamarind hot sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 500 gm boneless pork belly, skin scored; 2 tsp dried shrimp; 1 tbsp peanut oil; 35 gm (¼ cup) roasted peanuts; 2 tbsp lime juice; 2 tsp each finely grated palm sugar and fish sauce; 1 banana blossom (see note), trimmed, outer leaves removed, pale white part thinly shaved on a mandolin; 100 gm green papaya, cut into julienne; ½ cup small soft herbs, loosely packed; 24 betel leaves; Tamarind hot sauce; 2 tbsp hot sauce (we used Cholula); 1½ tbsp tamarind paste; 3 tsp finely grated ginger; 90 gm (¼ cup) honey

Ingredients

500 gm boneless pork belly, skin scored

2 tsp dried shrimp

1 tbsp peanut oil

35 gm (¼ cup) roasted peanuts

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp each finely grated palm sugar and fish sauce

1 banana blossom (see note), trimmed, outer leaves removed, pale white part thinly shaved on a mandolin

100 gm green papaya, cut into julienne

½ cup small soft herbs, loosely packed

24 betel leaves

Tamarind hot sauce

2 tbsp hot sauce (we used Cholula)

1½ tbsp tamarind paste

3 tsp finely grated ginger

90 gm (¼ cup) honey

Method

1.Preheat oven to 220°C. Rub pork all over with fine cooking salt. Place on a wire rack over a roasting pan and roast until golden, cooked through and skin has crackled (30-40 minutes); rest for 15 minutes. Remove crackling in one piece and roughly break into small pieces; set aside. Thinly slice meat lengthways into 5mm strips; slice each strip widthways into rough 5mm-thick batons.

2.Meanwhile, soak shrimp in boiling water (10 minutes); drain and finely chop. Heat 2 tsp oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and peanuts, stir frequently, until golden (2 minutes). Transfer to a mortar and pestle and coarsely crush; set aside.

3.For salad, combine remaining 2 tsp oil, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce in a bowl. Add banana blossom, papaya, and herbs; season and toss to combine.

4.For tamarind hot sauce, combine ingredients in a jug. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook, pork slices, turning occasionally, until golden (3 minutes). Add tamarind hot sauce, cook, stirring occasionally, until sticky (3 minutes).

5.To serve, top betel leaves with salad and pork and sprinkle with peanut mixture and crackling.

Note: Banana blossom, also known as banana heart, is the purple-skinned flower that grows at the end of a banana cluster. Substitute with green mango.
For our soft herb mix, we used mint, coriander and flat-leaf parsley.
Notes

Recipe by Clare Maguire Chef and Home Economist

Clare is a classically trained chef. After working in some of London’s best restaurants, including Ottolenghi, and with several years of private cheffing in Europe under her belt, she moved into recipe writing and developing. After making the move to sunnier Sydney a few years ago, she regularly contributes to various publications and has worked on over 15 cookbooks. She loves exploring food markets wherever she goes and still heads to Europe for a few months each summer to private chef. She is passionate about cooking with fresh, vibrant and sustainable ingredients and takes inspiration for recipes from her travels. Clare is always up for a pastry crawl to find the best viennoiserie going.

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Styling by Vivien Walsh

Ingredients

Method

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