Crisp pork belly and crushed peanut Thai salad

[Pferdestarke]

I'm doing the starter course on Sunday at a friend's house and he has requested that it is easy to prep, not too heavy and very tasty. I had to drive back to Doncaster from Wales on Friday evening and so gave it some thought whilst dodging the Welsh lunatics in their Y Ddraig Goch-emblazoned cars.

Here's my plan, which I will photograph on Sunday.

• Enough pork belly for a little each for 7 people, scored, salted and left uncovered in the bottom of the fridge for 2 days minimum.
• A mixture of fresh salad leaves such as spinach, frisee, radichio, but not rocket. interesting textures and colours.
• A mild onion, maybe red, haven't decided
• A large bunch of coriander
• Some cucumber
• Several small fresh red chilis, birds' eye or equivalent heat, not jalapeno if it can be helped
• Toasted and crushed peanuts, or at least some toasted sesame seeds

For the dressing:

• 3 limes, juiced, after being microwaved for 40 seconds
• 50ml nam pla
• 30ml light soy
• tbsp of palm sugar, or cane, but important whichever you have
• Maybe a splash of water if it is too strong, but not much
• a dash of honey
• twenty turns of black pepper
• NO salt! it's already present
• Finely chopped coriander, stalks and all
• Finely chopped chili, seeds and placenta too as we want it hot!

Mix all of the above ingredients together and leave to stand, room temp until required.

Belly pork cooking is very well documented on here but for me it is a thirty minute blast, followed by 90 minutes on 150 and then another 20 at 220c. That ought to see you with good crackling, rendered fat and tender meat. Leave it to rest and cool enough so that it won't cook your salad when served.

Roast your onion by cutting it into sizeable chunks and drizzling with a little oil until slightly charred, sweet and tender. Cool.

Prepare your salad, cucumber etc in a bowl and pour over one third of the dressing. Mix so all leaves are covered and plate up.

Take a serrated tomato knife and slice the pork belly into long, thin strips, ensuring that each piece has its crackling in place for great texture. If you haven't got one I can recommend the little red Victorinox ones which are about £3.

Lay three or four slices on top of your salad and top with crushed toasted peanuts or sesame seeds. Put a few pieces of roasted onion around the side and some coriander on top. Drizzle liberally with the rest of the dressing and serve to some hopefully appreciative guests.

For best results nothing should be hot and certainly not cold. Just-warm meat, room temp for everything else.

Please suggest improvements as i am not doing this until Sunday.

Edited by Pferdestarke on Saturday 20th February 08:12

[dcw@pr]

i love that dressing, but i normally put in some micro planed garlic, and also blend in some sake and mirin (instead of the sugar)

[zakelwe]

I'd drop the peanuts for toasted pine nuts, I think that would be less salty and more toasty, but not as toasty as sesame seeds would be. Also, if you find someone has a peanut allergy ..... you'd have problems.

Andy