Ingredients (serves 6)

3 cups (750ml) chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Roots from 1 bunch coriander, washed, chopped, plus extra leaves, to serve
1/2 cup (185ml) kecap manis
3cm piece ginger, thinly sliced
2 pieces dried mandarin peel, or 2 strips fresh orange peel
3 star anise
1 piece cassia bark or cinnamon stick, crumbled
1.7kg piece boneless pork belly
Steamed gai larn and jasmine rice, to serve

Caramel sauce
175g grated dark palm sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 red birdseye chilli, seeded, finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C. Combine all ingredients, except pork, with 2 cups water in a casserole dish. Slowly bring to the boil over low-medium heat. Add pork then cover with a lid and cook in oven for 2 1/2 hours or until very tender. Remove pork from liquid and discard all but 1/3 cup liquid, then refrigerate pork until cooled.

For sauce, place sugar and 1 tbs water in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over low heat, without stirring, until sugar dissolves and caramelises. Gradually stir in reserved cooking liquid. Add fish sauce, vinegar and chilli and simmer for 1 minute.

Preheat grill to high. Cut pork into 2cm-thick slices and place slices flat on a lightly greased oven tray. Grill for 5 minutes or until meat is golden and skin crisp. Serve pork with caramel sauce, extra coriander, gai larn and rice.

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