Monday, November 13, 2006

Roast Pork D Chinese Style

Roast pork is one of those things I very seldom order at a Chinese BBQ joint unless I have a ridiculous craving for it. I don't order roast pork because I can make a wicked one at home and I feel it's rather meaningless to order something that you can do as good or if not, even better. I do however, order BBQ pork (char siew) or BBQ pork ribs despite being to make them as well because they tend to require a little more effort in my kitchen. That being said, Chinese roast pork is so easy to do that once you start making it at home, I think you may share my sentiments. Although I'm never secretive about my recipes, I don't tend to slut them around either. This is one from my family vault of classics and is always very welcomed at potluck parties.

Ingredients:
1. A good slab of belly pork
2. Salt, five-spice powder, Chinese salt, preserved red fermented beancurd, pepper, oyster sauce
3. Sesame oil

Method:
1. Season the ventral surfact of the pork belly (i.e. the meat side) with salt, pepper, five-spice powder, Chinese salt, oyster sauce, preserved red fermented beancurd and sesame oil

2. Put the slab(s) on a rack and roast in the oven, meat side up for about 40 minutes at 160degC (non-fan-forced)
3. Remove from oven and flip it over so that the skin side faces up

4. Score the surface with a sharp knife to form a grid (as you can see, the blades in my kitchen don't get early retirement haha)

5. Generously rub salt into the skin (you may use a brush or a similar utensil to do this because it's really hot but I am the man with the iron fingers. I am now however, the man with the burnt and painful iron fingers)
6. Place the slab(s) back in the oven for another 20mins at 160degC, skin side up

7. Turn the heat up high (about 200 to 250degC) to start the crackling process

8. You can actually hear the skin go "pop" like popcorn when it's crackling. *Pop*, *pop*, *pop*... music to my ears. You can even get a sheet of bubble wrap and join in the chorus

Hint:
1. Marinate the slabs for at least a day, this gives it a much better flavor
2. Do not score too deep into the skin such that you penetrate the meat, the juices from the meat will make it difficult for the skin to crackle

Behold! Home-made roast pork with super crunchy crackling. Is there anymore reason to order this outside now?

Slice and serve hot!

D

14 comments:

Unclenabe said...

Wah! Damn good manz!

Anonymous said...

whoa looks like those u buy from outside really! Btw I read thru yr archives, u mentioned u wanna eat baklava right... Only Far East Plaza basement.. that turkish restaurant has it. =) hehe

LiquidShaDow said...

Very beautiful roast pork there D.

Anonymous said...

"I am the man with the iron fingers. I am now however, the man with the burnt and painful iron fingers" Honto act cute des ne :S

Unknown said...

Woah D, you sure make some mean pork dishes, this plus your ribs too..er...the Nam Yu pork ribs I mean.

Sebastian Ng said...

tried and tested :)

God Bless

zhengning said...

wah, step by step :D
you should cook more often!
The pork really goes 'pop-ing'?! cool! i should get my mum to try this one day.

Anonymous said...

mEATTTTTT~~


ah! i just realised theres the word EAT in meat.

i want to eat meat!

err.. sorry for lameness. hee.

anyway that looks really good! i want to bite into one right now just looking at your photo(of the meat).

blog more delicious recipes! i wonder how is char siew made? the red colour.. is it colouring?

Anonymous said...

Hmm you mentioned preserved red fermented beancurd in the ingredients list but never sat how this should go onto the meat. Or is this also done in step one - marinate with the rest of the ingredients?

D said...

unclenabe: You know it tastes superb =P

michie: Really? I used to go to that place to get Turkish ice-cream but the whole showmanship antic thing with giving you the ice-cream got really annoying. I mean, for the first few times it was rather novel, but I'm like there, with no crowd whatsoever and he's still playing those "try to get the ice-cream" games. I actually told him not to fool around once because I was in a hurry and he gave me such evils; I never went back hahaha! I actually made some excellent baklava (recipe to be up soon) over the weekend out of desperation but I'll try this place again if I'm lazy to make it myself(which is the very reason why I've been looking for one in town in the first place hahaha!)

liquidshadow: Thanks!

Kingkong: Owwieee.. I burnt me pinky :'(. Cute enough for ya? Hahaha!

Angie: Hmm come to think of it, most of the stuff I've been posting are pork dishes. I'm actually more of a meat person (you would have guessed by now) but my baking will give you a run for your money =P I'll try to make my recipes more diverse besides just pork in the future.

seb: You're one of the lucky few bro =)

zhengning: Yup, I think step-by-step is important because the pictures do say alot more than just words. Tell your mum it's "your" recipe, anyone can take "credit" for anything on this site, I don't care.

girl: It's not lame! It's beautiful! The nicest two-word rhyme in the world:
Eat,
Meat.
You put the bard to shame! =D
My char siew recipe is almost identical to my bbq ribs one at:
http://dancingblueseal.blogspot.com/2006/10/barbecued-babyback-ribs-chinese-style.html
it has a reddish color because I used some colored sugar meant for cotton candy =) but really, the coloring is not required.

Mel: Thanks for the correction, I've amended the post accordingly. =)

Anonymous said...

lol my maid makes a kick ass roast pork too. The skin goes crunch crunch crunch even when cold and best part, my mom will buy a leaner piece so there's less fat which suits my taste more.

btw, about the butcher opposite Valley Point, do you mean Esprito Santo? I haven't tried it but I've read that it's reasonably good. Their meat is from Brazil I think. I wasn't aware that it was new though, I think it's been around awhile although not as old as Swiss Butcher's. Let me know how it goes!

Freezy said...

you should start an eatery that specialise in selling meat dishes... hahahahahaa

D said...

freezy: Haha got to sound out some VCs for that =P

Freezy said...

haha... sure why not?? your blog is one good publicity.. =P