Roast pork belly with wakame seaweed rice

“This pork is deliciously sticky and tender. By removing the fat to make crackling, you get the best of both worlds: crispy crackling and pork that melts in your mouth without all the richness.” – Hannah Lewry

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Remove the skin from the pork making sure you remove all the fat from the skin. Place the skin on a baking tray and score, then sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Place another baking tray on top of the skin to compress it. Place in the oven on a low rack.

3. Place the pork bellies in a large, shallow casserole or ovenproof dish and coat each one with 1 jar of glaze. Don’t worry about any excess, it will become deliciously sticky as it cooks.

4. Place both bellies in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Add 1⁄2 cup water to the pan and mix with the residual marinade to prevent it from burning. Turn over and cook for a further 40 minutes.

5. Remove the pork belly from the oven and allow to rest in the skillet. While the pork is resting, finish the crackling. Increase the oven’s temperature to 200°C, remove the top tray and return to the hot oven and allow the fat to puff up and crisp.

6. To make the wakame seaweed rice, pour 1⁄2 cup boiling water over the wakame in a bowl and allow to stand for 5 minutes, then strain. Microwave the rice to package instructions and fold the seaweed through the rice with the spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

7. Remove one of the pork bellies from the skillet and chill for the next day with some of the leftover marinade. Shred or slice the other pork belly and toss through the marinade in the pan. Add the rice to the pan and serve with coriander and wilted pak choi if you like.

Have leftovers? Make sticky pork belly buns. Find the recipe here. 

Find more pork recipes here. 

Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Hannah Lewry 
Food assistant: Claire-Ellen Van Rooyen