Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup grated palm sugar
- 1 long red chilli, sliced into rounds
- 290g can water chestnuts, drained and quartered
- 1kg pork neck
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- steamed rice and Asian greens, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place the oyster sauce, palm sugar, chilli, water chestnuts and 500ml water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil over a high heat then reduce to medium-low to simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
Place the pork neck into a deep casserole dish just large enough to hold the piece of pork, and pour the oyster sauce mixture over the meat. Cover with foil and cook for 2-3 hours, turning every half hour (you may need to add extra water if the liquid reduces too much). Remove foil and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced. Check seasoning.
Slice the pork and serve with steamed rice and Asian greens.
Photo: WILLIAM MEPPEM
Hot tips
Serve coconut rice or plain steamed rice with the braised pork. To make coconut rice, replace 1/4 of the water needed for cooking plain rice with coconut milk.
Stir-fried Asian greens or steamed greens with oyster sauce would round out the meal.
Bamboo shoots or lotus root also work well as a garnish.
Something to Drink: Riesling with the braised pork, try the 2010 Wolfberger Riesling ($22), from Alsace in the north-east corner of France. It's luscious, with ripe-apricot, peach and citrus notes. The touch of residual sugar on the palate balances the chilli; the acidity leaves the palate fresh.
