Lacquered pork neck with colorful vegetables and plum sauce

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 1 ½ kg pork neck, cut into two thick slices of 750 g each
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 30 g fresh ginger
• 400 ml chicken broth
• 8 tbsp rice wine
• 10 tbsp soy sauce, dark
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 star anise, whole
• 4 tbsp maltose, alternatively honey
• 2 m.-large carrot(s)
• 1 bell pepper(s), red, peeled
• 1 bell pepper(s), yellow, peeled
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 m.-large zucchini
• 50 g mushrooms (shiitake), preferably fresh, alternatively dried and soaked
• 1 can of bamboo shoots
• 3 spring onions
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 4 stalks of coriander
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 3 tbsp vegetable broth
• 1 tsp sesame oil, dark
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp cumin
• salt and pepper
• 1 red chili pepper(s)
• 50 g ginger root, grated
• 1 small garlic clove(s)
• 450 g plum jam, unseasoned
• 3 tsp, leveled five-spice powder (Five-Spice-Powder, Asian store)
• 100 ml soy sauce, light
• 100 ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 16 hours

Main course meat for the dragon menu

Halve the pork neck lengthwise, then make a cross-shaped slash in the top and bottom of the meat. Peel and slice the ginger and garlic. Peel and slice the onions. Mix the chicken stock with the rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar and bring to a boil with the onion strips, ginger, garlic, and star anise. Let cool. Let the meat marinate overnight. Remove the meat from the marinade and drain. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and place the meat on it. Cook in a preheated oven at 150°C for about 2-2.5 hours, turning the meat several times. About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, place the meat on a sheet of baking paper and brush with the maltose. Return to the oven. About 5 minutes before the end, turn on the grill to create a nice crust. For the mixed vegetables: Wash the peppers, quarter them, deseed them, peel them, and cut them into strips. Cut the carrots, zucchini, and leek into thin strips. Remove the tough stems from the shiitake mushrooms, then cut them into strips as well (alternatively: soak dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water and cut off the stems). Place the bamboo shoots in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Trim the spring onions and slice them into rings. Heat the oil in a wok and lightly fry the chopped ginger and garlic. Then gradually add the vegetables and fry them, seasoning with salt and pepper. Deglaze with soy sauce, vegetable stock, and rice wine, and season with coriander and cumin. The vegetables should still have some bite. Finally, drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with torn coriander leaves. For the plum sauce: Halve the chili pepper, remove the seeds, and chop finely. Peel the ginger and garlic, and also chop finely. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce infuse at room temperature for a while, then serve with the meat (it will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days). Cut the meat into thin slices and serve over a bed of colorful vegetables with a dollop of plum sauce.