Life All Travel Destinations Entertaining Food All Chefs Recipes Restaurants Wine Matching Wine All Wine 101 Wine News Wine Regions Wine Varietals Home > Selector Magazine > Food > Modern sweet and sour pork belly with pineapple salad Food Modern sweet and sour pork belly with pineapple salad Preparation time Cooking time Serves Ingredients 1.5kg boneless pork belly, ideally of even thickness 1 tsp salt Coriander sprigs, for serving Sauce ¼ cup Chinese black vinegar ¼ cup dark soy sauce 2 tbsp hoi sin sauce 3 tbsp brown sugar 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3cm ginger, finely chopped 1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground fennel ¼ tsp ground black pepper Pineapple salad 1 large red chilli, finely sliced 4 green onions, finely sliced ½ pineapple, peeled, cored and finely sliced 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks 1 small cucumber, deseeded and cut into matchsticks ¼ Chinese cabbage (wombok), shredded ¼ cup coriander leaves Dressing 100ml rice wine vinegar 50ml Shaoxing wine 2 tbsp water ¼ cup white sugar ½ tsp sea salt 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2cm piece ginger, grated Method Using a very sharp knife, score the pork belly rind by making diagonal cuts 1cm apart across the whole surface of the rind to create a diamond pattern. Place in a colander or on a rack in the sink and pour over a kettle full of boiling water to help rind separate. If necessary, score more. Dry well with kitchen towel and place uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours or even overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking and rub rind with salt. Pre-heat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Wipe the pork well with paper towel to remove excess moisture, place rind side up in baking dish not much bigger than the pork and roast for 30 minutes. A disposable aluminium tray 32cm x 26cm is perfect for 1.5kg pork belly. Combine sauce ingredients in a jug. Remove pork from oven and reduce heat to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lift the pork from the baking dish, pour the sauce into the baking dish and replace the pork on top, ensuring no sauce gets on the skin. Return to oven and roast for an additional hour or until the rind is crisp and translucent and the meat juices run clear. If the juices are clear and the rind is not crisp enough, grill for 5 minutes or until the rind blisters. Remove to a wire rack to rest. Prepare dressing by placing vinegar, wine, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, add garlic and ginger, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste for balance and cool. Just prior to serving, toss with pineapple salad ingredients in a large bowl. To serve, cut the pork into pieces and serve with pineapple salad, topped with coriander sprigs. Food Preparation time Cooking time Serves SHARE