Chinese Pork Belly with Szechuan Salt and Pepper Recipe
For those who are familiar with some of my earlier recipes on the Wandering Gourmet website such as the Banana Cake recipe, I was generally forced to make them. This pork dish is no exception. Unfortunately I couldn’t get around to making more Chinese dishes this week, as I had a few things pop up… including being forced to make another Banana Cake – but this time, for my Nephew… which ended up being used as a bribe from his parents. :S
Chinese Pork Belly and Szechuan Salt and Pepper Recipe
800g pork belly, skin scored with a knife
3 garlic cloves, sliced
150mL soy sauce
100mL Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
2 brown onions
2 tbsp szechuan pepper (available at any good Chinese supermarket)
1 tbsp sea salt
1 lemon, cut into quarters
1. Put the pork, garlic, ginger, soy, and wine or sherry into a bowl and put it in the fridge to marinate overnight. If it’s possible, try to turn the pork over a couple of times, but it isn’t really necessary.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C.
3. Cut the unpeeled onions in half and place on a baking tray skin side up.
4. Place the pork, skin side up, and bake in the oven for an hour or until cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
5. Let the pork rest for 30 minutes.
6. Whilst letting the pork rest, dry fry or put the szechuan pepper in the oven for 2 minutes.
7. Grind the szechuan pepper with the sea salt in a mortar and pestle… or a coffee grinder. Then put it into a side dish.
8. Cut the pork into slices, and serve the slices of pork with lemon and szechuan salt and pepper.
My verdict:
My parents and I thought that this dish was pretty good. What we didn’t like about it was that the pork belly wasn’t crispy… just tough. That might just have something to do with the quality of the meat though. I think the onions could have gone on the same tray instead of being separated. Also, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the left over marinade.
The Szechuan Salt and Pepper is basically the same taste as what you would get as the side salt dish thing when you order crispy chicken at a Chinese restaurant. I really liked the fragrant smell of the szechuan pepper which wafted through my kitchen after I took it out of the oven. 
All in all, I would definitely make this dish again. I have some ideas for improvements for this dish, so stay tuned for my version of the dish!
Medal: Gold!
