Ingredients
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of chopped lemongrass
2 star anise
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce *
1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce *
1kg belly pork
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can unsweetened young coconut water
4 hard boiled eggs, shelled
* Use gluten-free sauces to make this meal suitable for those with allergies.
Method
To make a marinade for the pork combine the onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the black pepper, fish sauce, lemongrass, star anise and soy sauce.
Slice the pork into pieces the size of two fingers. In a shallow dish, marinate the pork pieces for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally.
Heat the oil in a clay pot and brown the marinated meat. Add the remaining sugar and cook gently until it turns to a deep brown or caramel colour.
Meera Freeman taking a tour of Victoria Street, Richmond, in 2007. Photo: Rodger Cummins
Lower the heat to a bare simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Add the young coconut water and continue to simmer very slowly until the pork is tender and the liquid has reduced to a quarter of its original volume. Add the hard boiled eggs for the last 30 minutes.
Serve with plain rice and pickled vegetables.
* This a classic version of the dish Freeman adapted from friends in the Vietnamese community in Melbourne. This recipe first appeared in her book The Vietnamese Cook in 1993 (republished as The Flavour of Vietnam in 1995).
