Belly Pork Hot Pot

Mmm just thinking about writing this up is making my mouth water. I only had this a couple of days ago and I want it again...now. Seriously, if I had to name my top ten all time favourite dishes this would definitely make it. Its the way the fat on the pork simply melts in your mouth.

Enough! Back to the recipe.

Ingredients
Pork Belly (cut into 1 inch chunks/cubes)
2 green chillies (chopped)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp white or brown sugar
olive oil
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 star aniseed
1 bay leaf
2 carrots cut into chunks
2 leeks sliced
recently boiled water (about 1 pint and a half)

Step 1
On a hot hob, in a flameproof casserole dish, heat a splash of olive oil until hot. Add the ginger, stir, quickly followed by the chilli and fry for a further 20 seconds. Then add the belly pork. Fry until the pork starts to brown (2 minutes or so).

Step 2
When the pork has browned add the sugar, light and dark soy sauce and stir contents so that the pork is covered. Then add water from the recently boiled kettle. The water should cover the pork by roughly an inch (2.5cm). Add the star aniseed and the bay leaf. Bring back to the boil, turn the hob down, then place the lid leaving a gap on the casserole dish and simmer for 1 hour.

Step 3
Add the carrots to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the leeks and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with rice. Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelishous!!!

TOP TIP: the star aniseed is very important in this recipe as its adds a very distinctive flavour. You can usually pick them up from a Chinese supermarket. Well worth buying and they'll last you for ages.