Slow Cooker Five Spice Pork With Snap Peas Food

SLOW-ROAST FIVE-SPICE PORK BELLY & GRAVY

Steps:

• Mix together the five-spice powder, soy, honey, rice wine, vinegar, ginger, garlic and chilli. If you have time, pour the mixture into a shallow dish and sit the pork in the dish skin-side up, so only the meaty side is in the marinade and the skin stays dry. Salt the skin lightly and chill overnight if you have time, or for up to 24 hrs. (If you don't have time to marinate the pork, skip this and move straight to step two.)
• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Pour the marinade (the excess if you've chilled the pork overnight) into a roasting tin. Sit the pork on top, skin-side up - it should fit snugly in the tin. Roast for 2 hrs. Remove from the oven, then lift the pork onto a board. Pour the fat from the tin into a bowl, then pour the juices through a sieve into a small pan. Wipe down the tin. The pork can be prepared up to this stage two days ahead and kept chilled.
• Turn the oven up to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the pork back in the tin, skin-side up, and brush the skin with the oil. Roast for 30-35 mins, basting with the reserved fat once or twice, until the skin has blistered and crackled. If the skin hasn't crackled after 35 mins, slide the pork under a hot grill, but watch carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. Lift the pork onto a board and leave to rest for a few minutes.
• While the pork is still in the oven, add the stock to the pan with the roasting juices and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, adding more soy or vinegar to taste, if you like. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp water to create a smooth paste. Stir this into the sauce and simmer until thickened. Keep warm on the lowest heat. Carve the pork into thick slices and serve with veg and the gravy, or cut into squares and top with spring onions, chillies and coriander, with the gravy alongside for dunking.

STIR-FRIED PORK WITH SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Steps:

• Mix the pork with the scallion whites, half of the garlic, half of the ginger, all of the soy sauce, all the sugar, 1 t. of the cornstarch, all of the sherry and all of the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• Mix the remaining 1 t. cornstarch with 2 T. water and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add 1 T. of the peanut oil and heat.
• Add the sugar snap peas and the remaining garlic, ginger and stir-fry until the sugar snap peas are bright green but still crisp (about 1 minute). Season with salt and pepper to taste and then put into a large bowl.
• Reheat the empty skillet over high heat and add 2 more T. oil.
• Add half the pork mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir-fry until lightly browned (about 2 minutes or so) Add this first batch of cooked pork to the sugar snap peas in the bowl.
• Repeat with the rest of the oil and pork.
• Return all the pork and sugar snap peas back to the skillet and add the hoisin and the cornstarch/water mixture. . Cook until the juices thicken (about 1 minute).
• Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide amongst 4 plates and scatter the scallion greens over the top.
• Serve with rice, if desired.

FIVE SPICE

Steps:

• Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add spices and toast, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool. If using the whole spices for a braise, they are ready to go.
• To make the spices into a powder, use a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle to grind the spices until fine. If you like, you can strain the mix through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any coarse bits, but this is optional. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.