Pork belly and clams

Ingredients

• olive oil or vegetable oil, for cooking
• 1 kg pork belly, cut into 2.5 cm pieces
• salt, to season
• 8 red Asian shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 200 ml shaoxing (Chinese cooking wine)
• 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
• 1.5 kg clams (pippies), rinsed well
• coriander sprigs, to serve
• roasted Kipfler potatoes, to serve

Capsicum paste

• 1 head of garlic
• 4 red capsicums
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) fish sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 - 2 bird's eye chilli
• 50 ml olive oil
• ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. For the capsicum paste, preheat the oven to 175˚C. Wrap the whole head of garlic in foil, place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic out of the skins and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, place the capsicums on an open flame or chargrill and cook, turning regularly until blackened and blistered all over. Place in a bowl, cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and allow them to sweat and cool slightly. Peel off and discard the blackened skin and seeds.
3. Place the capsicum flesh and peeled garlic in a food processor or blender, add the remaining ingredients and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
4. Place a wide heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add a good drizzle of oil and when hot, fry the pork belly in batches until golden brown. Remove the pork as it colours and set aside.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallot, garlic and coriander seeds and stir until the ingredients are soft and starting to colour. Return the pork to the pan, add the capsicum paste and cooking wine and stir to combine.
6. Add just enough chicken stock to almost cover the pork, bring to the boil, cover with a lid or foil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 45 minutes or until pork is tender.
7. Once the pork is cooked, increase the heat to high, add the remaining chicken stock and bring to the boil.
8. Add the clams, cover with a lid and cook for a further 5 minutes or until most of the clams have opened.
9. Check the seasoning and stir through the coriander leaves. Serve with roasted Kipfler potatoes.

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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