Fried pork belly with caramel sauce

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 750 g pork belly without rind
• 1 ½ liters of chicken broth
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 5 star anise
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 20 peppercorns
• 4 egg whites
• 120 g flour
• 120 g cornstarch
• Salt
• 200 g rock sugar
• 1 pinch of chili powder
• 2 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 liters of frying oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

a dish from Beijing

Roast the star anise and peppercorns without fat until they begin to smell. Simmer with chicken stock, coriander powder, and pork belly for two hours, until the pork belly is very tender. Remove from the stock and let cool. Remove the thick layer of fat, cut the meat into bite-sized strips, and season with salt. Whisk the egg whites with flour, starch, and enough water to form a thin batter. Roll the pork strips in the batter and fry in batches in 180°C fat until golden brown and crispy. Heat the rock sugar with a little water in a wok or large frying pan and caramelize. Carefully deglaze with water. It may splash violently! Once the caramel has dissolved, reduce until a thick sauce forms. Stir in the chili and roll the meat strips in the caramel sauce until completely coated. Sprinkle with the chopped spring onions to serve.