Dongpo pork

1 kg pork belly

boneless, skin on

1 tbsp sunflower oil

30 g ginger

skin on, thumb-sized pieces

1 star anise

whole

4 Chinese spring onions

1 spring onion (optional)

60 g candy sugar

150 ml soy sauce

mild

2 tbsp soy sauce

Dark

450 ml rice wine

e.g. 10-year-old Shaoxing wine

Rinse the pork under water, put into a saucepan filled with cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes. Take the pork out of the saucepan and plunge into ice-cold water. Place the pork, skin-side up, on a chopping board and cut into 5 cm squares. Tie the squares of meat together with kitchen string.

Cut the spring onions into quarters, cut the ginger into slices and fry together with the star anise in hot oil in a pan. Transfer to the porcelain dish.

Sear the skin side of the pork belly, then place in the porcelain dish next to the vegetables.

Bring the sugar, the two soy sauces and the Shaoxing wine to the boil and pour over the meat.

Put the porcelain dish on to the wire shelf in the cold cooking space. Cook.

Hot air humid 130 °C for 2 Hrs 30 Mins

Take the meat out of the porcelain dish when done and keep warm in the warming drawer. Strain the sauce through a sieve and reduce to a syrup. Serve with the meat.