Hunan Smoked Pork with Garlic Stems

Ingredients

• 600g skin-on pork belly in one piece
• 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 60g raw rice
• 40g brown sugar
• 20g black tea leaves
• 300g garlic stems or Chinese chives, cut into 5cm lengths
• 4 long green chillies, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, for the stir-fry

Before you cook

• Toast the coarse salt and Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan for two minutes until fragrant, then cool them
• Rub the pork belly all over with the toasted salt mix, five spice and Shaoxing wine
• Cure the pork uncovered in the fridge for at least 48 hours, turning it once a day
• Line a wok or deep roasting tin with two layers of foil for smoking
• Mix the rice, brown sugar and tea leaves together as the smoking mixture

Steps

1. Rinse the cured pork under cold water and pat it completely dry.
2. Set the pork on a rack and leave it in a cool airy place for one hour so the surface dries to a tacky sheen.
3. Spread the rice, sugar and tea mixture over the foil in the base of the wok.
4. Set a rack above the mixture, lay the pork on it, and cover the wok tightly with foil and a lid.
5. Smoke over medium heat for twenty-five minutes, until thick smoke has been running for at least fifteen of them.
6. Turn off the heat and leave the wok sealed for another ten minutes.
7. Take the pork out, wipe it, and steam it over boiling water for thirty minutes until fully tender.
8. Cool the pork, then slice it as thinly as you can manage.
9. Heat the oil in a clean wok over high heat and add the smoked pork slices.
10. Fry the slices for two minutes until the fat turns glassy and the edges crisp.
11. Add the garlic, black beans and green chillies and stir for thirty seconds.
12. Add the garlic stems and stir-fry hard for two minutes until bright green and just tender.
13. Splash in the Shaoxing wine, then add the soy sauce and sugar, and toss for thirty seconds.
14. Serve immediately, while the smoke is still loud in the room.