Crispy Asian Pork with Leek Pancakes

Pork – Preheat your oven to 240c/gas 9. Score the pork rind using a sharp blade (or get your butcher to do this). Place the pork in a deep roasting tin. Rub half the salt, all the pepper and oil into the rind. Sprinkle with the remaining salt. Roast for 20 minutes until the skin has crackled.

Remove from the oven, add the soy sauce, water, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, garlic and spring onion to the pan. Reduce the temperature to 180c/gas4 and cook for a further 1hr-40 minutes until tender. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly. Serve with pancakes, hoisin and salsa.

Pancakes – Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and melted butter. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg mixture, gradually mixing together to form a smooth batter. Leave to rest for an hour.

To cook, heat an oiled non-stick pan and add 3 tablespoons of batter to cover the base of the pan thinly. Sprinkle a little spring onion in, cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown underneath, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds. Remove and decant onto a warm plate, continue until all the batter is used up.

Ingredients

  • 2kg pork shoulder on the bone
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 200mk water
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons soft brown sugar
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 5 fat cloves garlic flattened with a knife
  • 1 walnut size piece of ginger, shredded
  • 2 large spring onions, shredded

Pancakes-

  • 4 eggs
  • 750ml milk
  • 80g butter
  • 250g plain flour
  • 5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 spring onions, chopped finely