Smoked Pork Belly With Salted Black Beans

Smoked pork belly with black beans



This is a slab of smoked pork belly we brought back from Singapore. We reluctantly used the last bit for fried rice (OM, so good!) yesterday. Wey was hoarding it like it was his life. He let go finally when I told him Uncle Clive will bring some in two weeks' time when he visits with his wife and baby. Can hardly wait to show you all the cutie. The baby, not the smoked pork.

Carrefour's smoked belly pork is way better than their imported bacon (which we also brought back). It is fresh, smooth, not salty and there's no porky stink. It comes uncut so you can cut it thick. Yum. We used most of it to fry rice with (to stretch it) but I was thinking maybe I could try cook with it because it wasn't salty or smoky in flavor. And you know what, it is excellent for stir fry. So good I even ate the fat and rind. My motto is when you eat something sinful, it better be worth it. For the same reason, I use the best butter for home made bread and I spread it real thick. If I eat butter cake, it better be good. Same with any dessert.

You can use fresh belly pork in place of the smoked pork. Just chill it so that cutting is easier and add slightly more salt or soy sauce. If you aren't a pork person, then use prawns or chicken or beef sliced thinly. This is not a shy dish, there'll be plenty of oil so I stand guilty of posting yet another oily dish. I personally believe that we need to ingest some fat once in a while. That's my beauty secret, believe it or not. Didn't anyone tell you that after 40 if you choose to keep your body (slim), you loose your face (gaunt). I'm choosing my face (less gaunt, hopefully) over my body (lumpy).


Smoked Belly Pork With Salted Black Beans

150-200 g smoked pork belly or lightly salted bacon*
1 medium- sized green bell pepper
1 medium- sized red bell pepper
1 small brown onion
1 T minced garlic
2 T black beans

Sauce:
1 t sesame oil
2 t light soy sauce
1/2 t caster sugar
black pepper
1 t cornflour
3 T water
--mix everything together well

For frying:
1 T oil
2 T shaoxin wine

*or use chicken cubes, or prawns or beef slices and marinade with salt, white pepper, some sesame oil and cornstarch and water. You can even use pork ribs (marinade too) but you'd have to cook them longer before adding the peppers.

1. Cut the belly pork into 5 cm x 8 cm x 3mm thick slices. Wash the black beans 3x. Taste one to find out how salty it is because different brands have different salt level. Cut the peppers and onion into 2.5 cm pieces.

2. Put the oil into a heated wok and lay the bacon pieces flat. Turn over when lightly browned (use medium heat) and stir when both sides are lightly browned. Take the bacon slices out, pour away all the oil and return pork slices back to wok.

3. Add the garlic and black beans and fry for about half minute, then add the peppers and onions, stirring to mix. Turn heat to low, cover and let it cook for about 2 minutes.

4. Remove cover, increase the heat and add the wine. Add the sauce and stir well until sauce has thickened. Give it about 30 seconds so that there won't be a floury taste. If sauce gets too thick, sprinkle in some water. Dish out, eat it hot with rice.