Pork Belly with Onion and Peanut Relish

My husband's first pork belly dinner. And what a way to dive in! Flavours of coriander, star-anise, kaffir lime, cinnamon and chili flakes offered an explosion of unique flavours that you don't often get to experience together. Such an exceptional way to cook this sinful meat. I especially loved the peanut relish, amazing.

Of course, it probably won't surprise you that the recipe was taken from Jamie Oliver's magazine. But this wasn't one of his recipes, in fact, it was a feature about chef Lance Edwards, of Sauce, a small traveling circus restaurant. So after the exhilarating show, guests can enjoy a 3-course dinner. My husband cooked two of those dishes, the other being the Asparagus pâté app. You really can't do one without the other. They're both to-die-for.

Asparagus Pâté

What you’ll need

3 bunches of asparagus, blanched

3 tbs clotted cream

What to do

Blend ingredients together. If you can find it, add in 1 tsp spicy chilli strawberry jam and then season with salt and pepper to taste before giving it one last whizz. Serve with your favourite crackers or bread.

Pork Belly with Onion & Peanut Relish

What you’ll need

1 tbs coriander seeds

10 black peppercorns

5 star-anise

4 kaffir lime leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

1.5kg pork belly boned with skin scored

1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes

1 tbs olive oil

boiled potatoes and greens, to serve

For the onion & peanut relish

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chili, finely chopped

4 large shallots, finely chopped

2 tbs sugar

3 tbs unsalted peeled peanuts

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1tbs each soy sauce and sesame oil

juice of 1 lime

handful of chopped fresh coriander

What to do

In a food processor, blitz the coriander seeds with 2tbs of sea salt and peppercorns. Add the remaining spices and blitz until fairly fine.

Put three-quarters of the spice mix in a roasting tin and place the pork on top skin-side down. Add the water to come halfway up the pork. Bring to a boil on top of the stove then turn down and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Take the tin off the heat, then remove the pork and pat dry with a tea towel or kitchen paper, brushing off the spice mix. Cover with a baking sheet and sit a heavy object on top to flatten the pork. Leave for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 425. Add the chili and olive oil to the remaining spice mix and rub it over the pork skin. Put on a rack in a roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes, then turn down to 350 for 1.5 hours. Remove and rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, over low heat, sweat down garlic, chili and shallots. Add the sugar and let the mixture caramelize a bit. Add the peanuts and ground coriander and mix well. Remove from heat and add the soy, sesame oil and lime juice and stir until combined. Add the coriander before serving with the pork, some potatoes and veg.

YUM!