Crispy Pork Belly Pancakes
There is nothing better than a crispy pork belly that is cooked to perfection!
These Crispy Pork Belly pancakes remind me of those you get at your favourite Chinese restaurant, with a good amount of hoisin sauce, spring onions, pickled onions and fresh cucumber to balance out the saltiness of the pork.
The crispy skin is something special, and each bite is a burst of flavour! The key to a crispy skin, is ensuring it is extremely dry. Head to my crispy pork belly recipe for tips to dry it out!
You can find the pancakes at your local Asian grocer, ask for Peking duck wrappers. Also, my favourite hoisin sauce is the one in the jar by Lee Kum Lee.
Prep Time: 30min
Cooking Time: 2 hrs
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Pork Belly:
1kg pork belly, left uncovered in the fridge for a few hours - overnight
1/2 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS Sea Salt Flakes
1 onion, cut into rounds
1 lemon, cut into rounds
3 garlic cloves
Pancakes:
Asian pancakes (Peking Duck wrappers from your Asian grocer)
Spring onions
1 cucumber
1/2 red onion
3 TBS white vinegar
1 TBS sugar
Hoisin sauce
Method:
Ensure the pork belly skin is extremely dry by patting with a paper towel. If you have time, ideally leave it in the fridge uncovered overnight
Score the skin (ensuring you don’t reach the meat) with a super sharp knife in 1cm intervals vertically. Alternatively, if you purchase from a butcher ask them to do it for you!
Preheat oven to 200c
Rub the oil and sea salt flakes into the skin ensuring it gets into the scored skin
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the pork skin side down (Yes you read that right!)
Cook for 1.5 hours
Increase heat to 220c, and quickly arrange the lemon, onion and garlic on the baking tray and then flip the pork onto it so it is skin side up.
Cook for a further 30 minutes until it is crispy.
Meanwhile, prepare the pickled onions by cutting up the red onion into thin rounds and place in a bowl with the white vinegar, salt and sugar and let them pickle until you need them. At least 1 hour
Cut up the cucumber into thin batons and the spring onion into 5cm length pieces
Let the pancakes defrost for about 10 mins, then pop them into the microwave for 30 seconds to warm up
Once the pork is ready, remove the crackling off the top and any fat you don’t want
Cut up the pork into long slices and the crackling into similar size slices.
Serve on a platter so everyone can make their own and enjoy!