Soy sauce pork and tossed potato wedges

Believe me, pork will never taste the same once you master this recipe.

The two soy sauces will help to balance colour and flavour, the long precook time will tenderise the meat, while the sugar will give the pork a tangy, caramelised finish.

Once done, the potato wedges should have the light crispness of a French fry, but with a creamy sweetness of a slow-baked oven potato.

Soy sauce pork

Ingredients

•  2kgs pork belly, ideally with skin and bone

•  4 tbs Chinese yellow cooking wine or a dry sherry

•  1/4 cup Chinese dark soy sauce

•  3 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce

•  6 thin slices of raw ginger

•  4 large spring green onion, cut into small pieces

•  3 tbs rock sugar or regular sugar

•  1/3  cup soybean or vegetable oil

Preparation

 Cut the pork into large cubes, approximately 1 1/2  inches across. Rinse, put in a pot, and cover completely in cold water. Bring the water to a moderate boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the water to get rid of the scum and rinse the pork in cold water.

 Return it to the clean pot, and cover with cold water.

 Throw in four slices of ginger and half the green onions into the pot. Bring the water to a boil, and then add two tablespoons yellow cooking wine and simmer for one to one-and-a-half hours. The meat should be tender, but should not fall apart. Carefully set the pork aside but retain the cooking water to use as broth.

 In a separate cooking pot, heat the oil to near smoking and then add the pork pieces. Sauté briefly to coat evenly with oil. Add the remaining yellow cooking wine and let alcohol cook off for about 30 seconds.

 Bring to a lower boil; add some of the broth, with just enough liquid to almost cover the meat. Mix in the rest of the ginger, green onion, and add the dark soy sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add light soy sauce, mixing evenly with pork.

 Simmer by covering with a lid, and continue braising for about 30 minutes. Occasionally mix the pork and liquid to ensure even flavour and colour. The liquid should reduce significantly, and the meat should take on the rich brown colour of the soy sauce during cooking.

 Return to high heat. Add rock sugar, broken into small pieces. The sauce will caramelise within a minute or so. Mix the pork to ensure the meat is evenly covered, and then serve.

Ingredients

•  1 kg medium size potatoes

•  2 tbs olive oil

•  Kosher salt (or any other thin salt that easily dissolves)

Preparation

 Preheat the oven to 450°

1. Scrub potatoes clean or peel

2.  Cut them into desired shape

3.  Place them in a sauce pan, sprinkle with a tablespoon of kosher salt and cover with about an inch of cold water

4.  Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to a simmer

5.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the edges are soft, but the centers still hard.

6.  Drain potatoes and put them in a large mixing bowl.

7.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with one teaspoon of kosher salt.

8.  Cover bowl with a lid and shake the potatoes

9.   Spread the potatoes in a single layer over a baking sheet.

10.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, flipping the potatoes every 15 minutes until evenly brown and crispy

11.  Allow to cool slightly and then serve immediately

Kitchen Tip

Defrost Meat on Aluminium Trays

The fastest way to defrost meat is under a cold running tap, but if you want to save water and speed up the process, place the meat on an aluminium sheet tray.

Aluminium is a good conductor of heat, and will draw energy from the surrounding environment into your frozen meat much faster than a wooden cutting board or stone countertop.