Lunar New Year - Chinese Crispy Pork Belly Pancakes

Lunar New Year is around the corner, so Liv from the office has shared her recipe for Pork Belly Pancakes! Crispy crackling and tender pork wrapped in a delicate pancake with spring onion, cucumber, coriander and hoisin, the perfect way to start your Lunar New Year feast. These crispy pork pancakes are inspired by the traditional flavours of a Peking duck but highlight the juicy pork from McIvor farm, plus you get the added bonus of extra crispy crackling!

Serves 6 as starter

Ingredients

• 1.5kg pork belly
• 1/2 C water
• 1/2 C light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 star anise
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1.5C salt
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into batons
• 2 spring onions, cut into batons
• 2 packets of peking duck pancake wrappers
• Coriander for serving
• 1/2C hoisin sauce for serving

Method:

1. Combine water, soy oyster sauce, honey, star anise, garlic and white pepper in the bottom of a dish that will snugly fit the pork belly. You want it to be as close to the size of the pork as possible so that the marinating liquid penetrates up the sides of the pork and not just along the bones.
2. Pat down the skin of the pork and carefully place in marinade. Avoid getting any liquid on the skin and place in the fridge, uncovered overnight or up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place a rack on top of a foil-lined roasting pan and pour in 1/4C water on top.
4. Remove pork from marinade and place on rack, skin side up.
5. Carefully pour salt all over the skin of the pork, right up to the edges and place in oven for 40 minutes.
6. Take out pork and increase the temperature to 230 degrees. Lift the solid salt crust off the pork and discard.
7. Place pork back in the oven for another 50 mins and if the skin is not quite crispy enough, turn the oven to grill but make sure you watch carefully to ensure it doesn't burn.
8. Rest the pork for 10 mins, before using a sharp knife to cut the pork into pieces. Sometimes it's easier to remove the bones first.
9. Heat pancakes up according to packet instructions.
10. Spread hoisin on the bottom of a pancake, followed by crispy pork belly, cucumber, spring onion and coriander and roll it up and enjoy!