Prepped and ready to go...

Overnight rain has a wonderful sound on a tin roof when you are curled up in bed all warm and snuggled. It’s too wet to play outside in the garden today, so my attention moves to what’s for dinner…

I have two smoked pork bellies in the fridge. One was brined with thyme and pepper, the other was marinated in honey and soy before both were smoked for hours over grape vine clippings.

I have a wonderful english translation of a french cook book by Stephane Reynaud titled “Pork and Sons”. Great porkie goodness is contained within its voluminous pages. Tonight however, Neil Perry’s recommended  “Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop” has caught my attention. Stephane can wait for a later post regarding rillettes, pate and confit…

I was reading through Fuchsia’s book and came across Red Braised Pork or Hong Shao Rou, and felt a bit of inspiration coming on. What have I got in the pantry?

So, the honey soy belly was cut up into decent sized chunks and quickly stir-fried in a good slug of peanut oil. Then minced ginger, spring onions, dark soy, Shaoxing wine, stock, fresh shiitake mushrooms, a wee bit of brown sugar and a star anise were mixed in together and left to barely simmer for two hours on the top of the stove. The liquid reduces down to an almost syrupy glaze and is fabulous served with stir-fried veggies and rice.

Hot and ready to eat Hong Shao Rou with stir fried veggies and brown steamed rice.

The thunder started not long after I commenced cooking, and the sweet smell of spiced pork filled the kitchen. I’m deafened by the heavy rain on the roof now, but satisfied that even if the power goes out, dinner shall be served by the glow of the log fire.

Kind regards,

J