Sticky Five-Spice Pork Belly with Plums & Ginger

Name: Sticky Five-Spice Pork Belly with Plums & Ginger
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 900 g pork belly slices; 6 plums, halved and stoned; 6 spring onions, cut into 3 cm pieces; 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated; 3 cloves garlic, grated or crushed; 1.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder; 50 ml soy sauce; 2 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp light brown soft sugar; 2 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine; 2 star anise; 1 handful coriander leaves; 1 portion cooked rice and stir-fried greens, to serve

A melt-in-the-mouth pork belly traybake infused with aromatic Chinese five-spice and fresh ginger. Roasted with juicy plums that break down into a sweet, tangy glaze, this dish offers a perfect balance of savory and sweet flavors.

Servings4 Portions

Prep Time10 Mins

Cook Time120 Mins

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

pork belly slices
900 g
plums, halved and stoned
6
spring onions, cut into 3 cm pieces
6
ginger, finely grated
1 thumb-sized piece
garlic, grated or crushed
3 cloves
Chinese five-spice powder
1.5 tsp
soy sauce
50 ml
honey
2 tbsp
light brown soft sugar
2 tbsp
Shaohsing rice wine
2 tbsp
star anise
2
coriander leaves
1 handful
cooked rice and stir-fried greens, to serve
1 portion

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan/gas 5). Arrange the pork belly slices in a single layer in a large roasting tin. In a small bowl, whisk together the grated ginger, garlic, five-spice powder, soy sauce, honey, sugar, and rice wine. Pour this marinade over the pork, turning the pieces until they are thoroughly coated. Scatter the star anise into the tin, cover tightly with foil, and roast for 1 hour.

Remove the tin from the oven and discard the foil. Scatter the spring onion pieces over the pork and nestle the plum halves (cut-side up) between the meat slices. Spoon some of the juices from the bottom of the tin over the pork, onions, and plums to keep them moist. Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.

Take the tin out and use tongs to carefully flip the pork slices. If the spring onions are starting to brown too quickly, push them underneath the pork. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C (200°C fan/gas 7) and roast for a final 15 minutes, or until the pork is tender and the edges are beautifully caramelized. Serve the sticky pork and plums over rice with stir-fried greens, spooning the remaining pan sauce over the top and garnishing with fresh coriander.

Chef's Tips

For the best results, use pork belly slices with a good ratio of fat to meat, as the fat renders down to create the signature sticky sauce. If plums are out of season, fresh apricots or peaches make an excellent substitute.