Thai braised pork
Muu hong is a slow-cooked recipe from Phuket. This rich, fragrant braise features soy sauce and trader spices such as pepper, star anise and cassia. The pork should be so tender you can cut it with a spoon
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 600g pork belly
- 2tbsp dark soy sauce, plus a splash
- 2tbsp minced garlic
- 4coriander roots
- 1tbsp whole black peppercorns
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 3tbsp rock sugar or coconut sugar
- 2tbsp light soy sauce
- 2tbsp oyster sauce
- 2star anise
- 4cassia bark
- 1tbsp shaoxing rice wine
- coriander, to garnish
- jasmine rice, to serve
Instructions
Step 1
Cut the pork belly into 7.5cm squares, and marinate in a little of the dark soy sauce for a few hours.Step 2
Roughly pound the garlic, coriander roots and peppercorns with a pestle and mortar, or whizz to a paste in a food processor. Stir-fry in 1 tbsp of oil for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the pan and add the sugar – it will start to caramelise.Step 3
Add the pork belly with the garlic, coriander root and pepper. Add the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce and 1 tsp of salt. Add the star anise and cassia bark, with 400ml of water, and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes until the pork is tender. Add more water if it is drying out – the pork should sit in a pool of dark, fragrant sauce. Serve with rice.