CHAO FAN RICE WITH STICKY GINGER PORK

 Where has this dish been all my life!  How could I have not had this, especially as my husband lived in Hong Kong and used to go The Mariners Club where this was one of his favourite dishes!

This recipe is easier to throw together after a Chinese feast using particular leftovers, but I did make this from scratch for my husband and it was totally worth the little extra effort braising the belly pork.

Ingredients 

(serves 4)

Chao Fan

200g honey, ginger belly pork (recipe below)

1 thick slice of ham small diced

1 cup of petit pois peas cooked

1 thumb size piece ginger finely diced

1 large green pepper small diced

6 spring onions finely sliced

1 cup of basmati rice

2 cups of light chicken stock

Sticky Honey Ginger Pork Belly

This gorgeous melt in the mouth belly pork is just divine, worth the hour and half wait.

Ingredients 

( 1 1/2 hrs oven cook)

500g belly pork

1 tsp five spice

1 tbsp soy

1 tbsp sliced ginger

1 ltr chicken stock

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp caster sugar

Glaze

4 tbsp honey

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1 red chilli finely diced

For the glaze, mix all the glaze ingredients together, heat in a pan until the sugar has dissolved and you have a sticky glaze.

Rub the belly pork with the soy sauce and five spice, reserve to one side to marinated for half an hour, overnight is even better.

Pre heat your oven to 160 C / 320 F.  Place the belly pork in a casserole dish with a lid, add the rest of the braising ingredients, pop on the lid and place in the oven for around one and a half hours, check after 1 hour, the pork is done when it is gelatinous and you can pull it apart with no effort.

Chop into small bite size pieces and toss in the glaze.

Perfect Rice

1 cup of basmati rice

2 cups of light chicken stock

The key to successful rice is simply do not stir or take the lid off the pan!

Rinse the rice in a sieve and place in your pan along with the stock, pop on a lid and bring to a simmer, turn down the heat to a low simmer, under no circumstances take the lid off or stir the rice!  Simmer for 6 minutes then take the rice off the heat and leave to one side for a further 5 minutes, perfect cooked rice.

Fluff up the rice with a fork and stir in all the chao fan ingredients, that is it, enjoy.