Red braised ginger pork belly with pickled chillies

• pork belly2 ½kg kg

  rind removed, cut into 5cm pieces

• dark soy sauce↗1 tbsp tbsp
• Shaohsing rice wine↗200ml ml
• vegetable oil↗2 tbsp tbsp
• garlic cloves↗2

  thinly sliced

• thumb-sized piece ginger

  cut into matchsticks

• pinch of chilli flakes
• Chinese black vinegar↗100ml ml

  (available from Waitrose)

• soft brown sugar↗140g g
• vegetable stock↗700ml ml
• toasted sesame seeds↗
• sliced spring onions
• red chillies↗2

  sliced and soaked in rice wine vinegar for 1 hr, then drained

• steamed white rice

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Toss the pork with the soy and 1 tbsp of the rice wine. Leave for 1 hr or, even better, overnight in the fridge.

2. 2

   Heat some of the oil in a medium heavy-based saucepan. Brown the meat, in batches, on both sides and set aside. Add a little more oil and cook the garlic, ginger and chilli for 2-3 mins until golden.

3. 3

   Pour the vinegar, remaining rice wine, sugar and stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Add the pork, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 2 hrs or until the meat is tender. For the final 30 mins, remove the lid, increase the heat and let the liquid reduce until thick and syrupy. Serve scattered with the sesame seeds, spring onions and sliced chillies, with rice.