Ingredients
- gpiece pork belly, centre cut (see vid for explanation)
- 1/2 tsp5-spice powder (I have a recipe for thisonethe website, or you can buy)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper, ground
- 1/4 tsp salt for the meat, plus another 1/4 teaspoon for the skin
- Tbsp lime juice
- Tbsp fish sauce
- 3/4 tsp sugar or light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp roasted chili flakes, or to taste
- tsp toasted rice powder
- A little chopped green onions or cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Using a meat tenderizer, a metal skewer, a thick wooden skewer, or an ice pic, poke as many holes as you can in the pork skin, being careful not to go too deep and puncture the meat.
- Use a sharp knife, score the skin into 1 inch strips, going only deep enough to break the skin, try not to cut too much into the fat, and definitely not into the meat.
- Turn the pork meat side up, and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt evenly over the meat. Then sprinkle ½ teaspoon 5 spice powder and rub it evenly into the meat. Finally, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper and press it in. Be careful not to let any of the spices get onto the skin.
- Wash your hands if you've got spices on it, so it won't get on the skin, then turn the pork back skin side up.
- Sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon of salt thoroughly over the skin; I prefer using coarser grain salt like kosher salt for this so it's easier to see that you have salted the skin evenly.
- Let sit for about 20 mins until you see lots of water drawn up out of the skin.
- Dab it dry, and brush off any remaining grains of salt.
- Place pork into a container and refrigerate, UNCOVERED, for at least 18 hours to dry out the skin. (I usually do it for 24, but 18 is the lowest I have personally gone and was still successful. I have seen other recipes say 12, but I have not tried this out myself).
Tips
Do not make anymore than you can eat in one meal. This does not keep well and does not reheat well.