Earlier this week, my lovely friend Lizzy tweeted that she was trying this clay pot pork dish by fellow Aussie blogger, Ai-Ling at Blue Apolocalypse.
It looked and sounded so good that I had to give it a go!
My adaptations to Ai-Ling’s recipe were only minor – I used small perennial leeks instead of spring onions, and because our Emile Henry risotto pot is flameproof, I fried the meat in the same pot that I braised it in…
I cut the chillies back to four instead of ten (the dish still had a delicious gentle heat), subbed dry sherry for the Shaoxing wine, and added a handful of leafy garden greens with the leeks near the end of the cooking time.
The flavours in this dish – oyster sauce, soy, sesame oil – are the tastes of my childhood. My mother never made this dish, and yet every bite of the tender meat and rich sauce made me nostalgic. Big Boy and Small Man absolutely adored it – they ate it until all the rice ran out, and then continued eating it with bread. It’s definitely a keeper.
Thanks again, Ai-Ling!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
awesome post Ceila
Thanks Linda!
Looks very good indeed. I think you have Celiarized it enough to almost call your own. Loved seeing you I feel a little better just because of it
It was SO much fun to see you!! Ai-Ling’s recipe is fabulous, I actually stuck very closely to it, really. :)
A great adaptaion. Sounds and looks so good.
Thanks Norma! I’m so pleased to have found the recipe!
That looks so good! I may have to get another pot- I’ve been trying to utilize my crockpot for these recipes, but I know a clay pot makes for a whole different cooking experience.
Heidi, it’s so different in a claypot – I love our little Emile Henry ones. They go on the gas hob, to the table, and then in the dishwasher! :)
That looks really good. Did you start with a whole chunk of belly, or was it sliced already?
Thank you! I started with a whole piece of free range belly pork and sliced it up. I left the rind on this time, but next time I might take it off…hmm. I’m still a bit undecided! Here’s a photo of how we buy the meat:
I wish we could buy whole pieces of belly pork here. Only slices available :(
I’d be inclined to leave the rind on myself!
Celia,
If you remove the rind next time; will the fat disintegrate into the dish?
John and Elaine, I think you both might be right. I’ll just keep cooking it with rind on – best not to mess with a good thing! :)
Ah.. bet they would love that here as well! c
Celi, it’s a very clever recipe! Easy too! xx
Mhmmmm, mhmmmm… the pics look and the flavours sound divine. I make something similar, marinated for as long as possible and cooked slowly… I don’t know there is anything as good as the Asian-pork flavour combo. Like Big Boy and Small Man we end up stuffing ourselves with evey last morsel.
ED, there was something about the heavy rain and the aroma of the pork cooking and the flavours – it just made it the perfect meal for the night! I think we’ll be making this again often! :)
Me too!
I didn’t see the original recipe, but it’s sounding a little like a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe I’ve got on my “must-try” list – thanks for reminding me of it.
No worries, is Fuchsia Dunlop the name of a person or a dish? :)
This is definitely going to be one of our mid-week meals! Sounds warm and comforting indeed Celia, no wonder the boys gobbled it up :) xox
Becca, I wonder if I should have taken the rind off first? What do you think? I thought the rind might help to keep the meat together better as it braised. I must ask Ai-Ling what she does.. :)
I usually take it off for braised dishes Celia, it has that rubbery texture that can be off putting. Your favourite Costco sells pork belly in big slabs for a reasonable price- but without the rind. If I buy it I portion it up and freeze it, but you could never, ever roast it without the crackle! :(
Yes, our pork piece was from Costco. (Sorry for jumping in on the convo).
I’m resisting the Costco pork because I don’t think it’s free range? I can never find anyone to ask about it though! :)
I’m impressed you were able to slice up the meat. I always ask the butcher to slice it up for me as the skin can be so hard to cut. This looks like a beautiful warming dish and perfect for the non-stop rain xx
Charlie, it was easier to cut than to score the rind, not sure why! It was very rich and very filling, perfect for this weather! :)
Celia thanks for this post. The name Fuschia Dunlop is such a splendid name I could not resist googling her and discovered she is a food writer and chef/cook that specialises in Chinese cuisine. Looks like an interesting lady.
Thanks Madge, I’ll look her up! Hope your daughter and grandbaby are doing ok. We spent a lot of time in hospital when Small Man was young, so we have some empathy:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/10/18/small-man/
It is a keeper, isn’t it, Celia! We loved it…. I like your tweaks too. I felt it did need some greens… may I tell you a secret? I have a clay pot, but made mine in the wok from beginning to end. Just popped a lid on and turned down the heat. Love how you blogged it so quickly… and thank you for the shout out!
Thanks for putting me onto it in the first place, Lizzy! I’m sure it would work brilliantly in a wok, but I’m so in love with my little claypot that I’m always excited to find an excuse to use it! :)
My pleasure love. I am going to use the clay pot next time. At present, I’m experimenting with cooking all sorts of dishes in my wok. Glad you loved it.
looks really good celia..my children would love it too..i love having a pot simmering on the stove in the cooler weather..x
Jane, it’s a great recipe! I’m so glad to have found it! :) xx
I wonder if there is anything in the fact that belly pork is such comforting food and perfect for when your belly and outlying bits are in need of comfort? We were having a ‘pull-up-the-drawbridge’ night last night and were choosing between BP or roast chook but eventually chose the chook only because we didn’t have to think too much about how to cook it. Your BP whispers ‘here be warmth and comfort’!
Ooh Jan, does that means you’ve still got a bit of belly pork waiting for this recipe? ;-)
Hi Celia
Thanks for blogging about and sharing my recipe :) I’m really happy that your family enjoyed this dish and it brought back feelings of nostalgia. Your own take on it sounds great!
The Emile Henry Risotto Pot looks like a claypot! What else do you cook with it?
Ai-Ling
Ai-Ling, it was a huge hit here, thank you! I have the risotto pot in two sizes – I use the large one for curries and stews, and the smaller one for hotpots, soups and claypot chicken and rice! :)
Can I please ask, have you ever made your belly pork dish with rindless pork? Or do you think the rind is necessary to keep the meet together? Thanks again!
Hi Celia
You can definitely have the sliced pork belly with the skin off. It won’t make too much of a difference. Having the skin on adds more fat and flavour :)
Thanks Ai-Ling! Good to know – I might keep it skin on anyway next time – more traditional that way! :)
First of all, what an appeetizing recipe . . . but more importantly the introduction to a fabulous new blog – love what Ai-Ling is teaching and have already subscribed! Thanks to both of you :) !
Eha, we have to thank Lizzy for that, I’m so pleased to have discovered Ai-Ling’s blog as well! :)
Dear Celia,
This is such a beautiful dish especially for winter. I would always keep the rind on because it becomes so tender from the braise. It also helps to keep the lean meat from breaking away when slow-cooking. I adapted a recipe from Mr. Wong using julienne green apples as a slaw and it’s one of my fave winter recipes.
http://chopinandmysaucepan.com/recipes-inspirations-from-lunch-at-mr-wong
Chopinand, thank you for the advice – I thought the meat might hold together better with the rind on. Your dish looks fantastic! :)
This is so similar to what I did last weekend so I know it had to have been delicious :)
Tandy, such a perfect winter dish, isn’t it? :)
Beautiful dish – love pork belly!
Thanks Chica! :)
That looks lovely and luscious! :D
L, it’s one of those dishes that you discover and then feel like cooking every night for dinner! :)
yum, the pork looks so tender Celia!
Thanks Lisa! It really was meltingly tender!
I’ve a whole piece of pork belly in the freezer that taunts me every time I open the door. I haven’t come across a recipe that I wanted to use — until now. This sounds delicious, Celia, the meat being so moist and tender. I think I’ll follow your lead and use leeks & sherry, too. Thanks for sharing this simple yet great recipe. ;)
John, I *think* next time I’ll try doing it as Ai-Ling suggested – frying the meat in the wok first. The clay pot was fine, but a bit small and deep to properly caramelise the meat first. Lizzy made her version entirely in a wok, and it worked well! I’m so glad you like it, it’s a great recipe and I’m really pleased to have found it too!
G’day and thank you Celia for inspiring me to submit my first blog post for your In My Kitchen series! Love viewing from afar what’s in other people’s kitchens too! :)
Cheers! Joanne
Yaaay! Thanks for joining in, Joanne! :)
Let me know how this one goes sans the skin, please Celia.
Lizzy, wasn’t your version of this skin-free? I’m just guessing, because all the Costco belly pork was rindless? After all the comments above, I think I’ll be leaving the rind on, actually. It does feel more traditional that way too! :)
I have to try this!!! It looks fantastic!
Julie, it’s a treat! Hope you love it!
looks utterly scrumptious! I have organic free range pork in the freezer waiting for a recipe like this… going to head over to your friend’s blog right away – thankyou!
Jo, I hope you love this as much as I did. It’s so familiar and comforting to me – Ai-Ling and I have figured out that’s because it’s a Teochew dish, and my father’s family (and me by default) are all Teochew! :)
I’m so glad that I found your blog, this looks delicious. I don’t own a clay pot but have heard people rave about them. You’ve given me a good reason to go buy one now.
Diana, thanks for stopping by! The Emile Henry claypots are especially fine, and their Flame range can be used right on the hob. I’m a huge fan of them! :)
I will definitely be looking for one on my next visit to Home Goods. Thank you for the tip
Funny story Celia, I made this dish but swapped out and changed a few things along the way to fit with what I had on hand. I browned my meat, then caramelized it with sugar and chili and fish sauce. Braised it with coconut water, garlic, lemongrass and Lotus root, then added wombok and oyster mushrooms just before serving. I thought I had made Celia’s recipe and going to let you know how much we enjoyed it, but then I checked your post. So very different indeed, but the soul of the dish remains the same! Slow braised soft pork, rich broth, lovely flavours and lots of love- I think I’ll still call this Celia’s recipe after all :) xox
Oh hon, it was never my recipe to start with! All credit has to go to Ai-Ling, although I do think you’ve changed it enough to make it a completely new and delicious dish! :)
Hi Celia! I finally posted my July segment for In My Kitchen…love your In My Garden posts! My garden is too tiny so far so I included some of my garden raised tiny yellow tomatoes as they were technically in my kitchen.