500g pork belly
1 lemongrass, sliced thinly
2 tbsp fish sauce
½ cup coconut cream
Chili jam
100g shallots, fried
50g garlic, fried
25g dried chilies
10g galangal sliced, toasted
1 tbsp tamarind water
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup
1 lemon juice
1/2 cup coconut cream
Salad
8 lychees, peeled and deseeded
1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeds removed and cut half a centimetre
thick on the angle
1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked
1/2 bunch Vietnamese mint, leaves picked
1/2 bunch shiso, leaves picked
1 bunch Thai basil, leaves picked
3 kaffir lime leaves, stem removed,
finely sliced
1 long red chilli, deseeded, finely sliced
2 large dry chilli, deseeded and flash fried
1. Marinate the pork belly with lemongrass and fish sauce for 1 hour then add the coconut cream and marinate for a further 3 hours.
2. Chilli jam: place all the dry ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add tamarind water, fish sauce, gula melaka and lemon juice, process until a paste is formed. Remove the paste from the food processor and stir through the coconut cream. The chilli jam should be rich and smoky and taste sweet, salty and sour.
3. Pork belly: Heat a bbq or grill plate to low heat. Grill pork belly skin side down, for 25–30 minutes, turning frequently. This will allow the skin to crisp and render the fat out of the belly. The pork belly should be golden brown on all sides, when it is ready, brush with a little coconut cream and cook for further 1–2 minutes. Remove from the grill and rest for 5 minutes.
4. Salad: place all ingredients, except fried dried chilli, in a large bowl. Slice the pork belly, place into the bowl and add the chilli jam. Gently mix the jam through the salad, making sure everything is well coated.
Serve in a bowl topped with the fried chillies crushed over the top.