Recipe: Ginger Pork Belly by Jonnie Boer

Jonnie Boer doesn’t need much to make something delicious. ‘Very often I’m tinkering at home,’ says Jonnie, ‘and then Thérèse says: why don’t you write that down?’ That is exactly what they have now done, in Jonnie en Thérèse Thuis. 

Admittedly, this recipe requires a little more work than the average recipe, but hey: even at home, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of a challenge now and then.

Pork belly

1. Prick the skin all over with an awl or meat fork. The skin really needs to be perforated.
2. Brush the rice wine only over the skin. Marinate the remaining meat (everything that is not skin) with salt, freshly ground pepper and the five spice.
3. Place the pork belly on a plate. Pat the skin dry and place uncovered in the refrigerator. For a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 24 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
5. Place a sheet of aluminium foil on a baking tray and put the pork belly in the middle.
6. Fold the edges upwards so that the meat is covered with foil and the skin remains exposed.
7. Pat the skin dry once more and brush lightly with vinegar.
8. Cover the skin with at least 1 cm of coarse sea salt and place the pork belly in the oven for 60 minutes.
9. Remove the pork belly from the oven and set the oven to a medium grill setting (± 220 °C).
10. Remove the sea salt from the pork belly.
11. Put it back in the oven and make sure the baking tray is at least 20 cm away from the grill.
12. Cook the pork belly for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
13. Place the pork belly crispy-side down on the chopping board and cut into 2-centimetre cubes.
14. Arrange the cubes tightly against one another and finish with the apple syrup.
    

Ginger dip

1. Place all the ingredients for the sweet-and-sour marinade in the pan and bring to the boil
2. Let it infuse gently, then leave to cool
3. For the ginger dip, heat the oil gently in a pan.
4. Sauté the shallot, garlic, chilli and ginger over low heat until the shallot is translucent.
5. Add the sushi vinegar and sweet-and-sour marinade and bring to the boil.
6. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Add the coriander and lime zest.

Title: Jonnie & Thérèse thuis 
Author: Jonnie Boer, Thérèse Boer, Joël Broekaert
Publisher: Wbooks
Price: €29,95

Read also:

• Tip: you really don’t have to peel ginger, but if you do, this is the way
• Ginger vs. galangal: these are the differences
• Recipe for the most delicious tofu (in ginger beer!)