How to make Sichuan-style pork belly with shaved cucumber and chilli sauce, homestyle
- This cold, spicy dish is less garlicky than the restaurant version but still makes for an interesting appetiser
The classic cold appetiser of Sichuan pork belly is often served with a sauce that is far too garlicky for me. I’ve dialled it down for this recipe, and I hand-mince the garlic, rather than crushing it to a paste, but it’s still a pungent and spicy dish.
Sichuan-style pork belly with shaved cucumber and chilli sauce
Restaurants usually serve the thinly sliced cucumber wrapped around a piece of pork belly, but that’s a little too fussy for a homestyle meal. This presentation is simpler and faster.
There is a lot of pork belly, but many of the slices won’t be perfectly thin. Use the prettiest pieces for this recipe and save the trimmings for another dish. Or cut the trimmings up into bite-sized pieces, mix with some of the sauce and chopped cucumbers, and serve in a bowl with rice.
Choose a nicely trimmed rectangular piece of pork belly – this will make it much easier to cut into neat pieces later. The cooked pork belly needs to be weighted down in the fridge for several hours. If you like, start this dish the day before and chill the meat overnight.
500 grams of skin-on pork belly, about 7cm (2 ¾ inch) wide
A 3cm chunk of peeled ginger
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
3 star anise
3 large garlic cloves
3 spring onions
50ml (3 tbsp and 1 tsp) rice wine
For the sauce and to serve:
30ml (2 tbsp) light soy sauce
30ml (2 tbsp) dark soy sauce
20ml (4 tsp) rice wine vinegar
10 grams (2 tsp) granulated sugar
5ml-10ml (1-2 tsp) chilli oil
3-5 garlic cloves
2-3 red bird’s-eye chillies
2-3 Japanese or Chinese cucumbers, about 125 grams (4 ½ ounces)each
60 grams (2 ounces) skinless peanuts
2 spring onions
Fresh coriander sprigs