Anyone would think I was obsessed with Masterchef. Here is my attempt at Alvin's Caramelized Pork Belly with Saffron Sesame Rice. It certainly was a hit with my partner. Was it worth the effort though? I'm not sure. The braising liquid was simple enough and it really did have a wonderful flavour. I used golden syryp in place of dark cooking caramel which I can't imagine made much difference. The frying of the pork after braising was a fiddly and dangerous step. I imagine that you would acheive the same result with baking at a high temperature for 10 mins or so. It would be far less messy and less dangerous. I ended up doing this anyway to warm the pork for serving. The sauce itself was quite rich. Had a strong aftertaste which I couldn't quite place. Was either too salty or too sweet...All in all, an interesting dish which I would probably make again with amendments as part of a bigger banquet.
I didn't post the pictures but last weekend I also made the Drunken Chicken which was quite tasty too. Not sure what they were all raving about on the show. It had a lovely sweet and different flavour. But in the end it was fairly simple poached chicken. Maybe I did something wrong? The bruised salad however was really lovely and even without the key ingredients of dried shrimp and cucumber, was still a hit. Who else has been making some interesting things?
I don't know about you, but I could eat Asian every day of the week. I wish I lived somewhere with a Chinatown!
Take care
Love Toni
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