Hands-off dinners

“ The paste for the chicken creates a delicious, sweet earthiness with the fragrance of coconut”

THAI-INSPIRED PORK BELLY WITH HOME-MADE NOODLES

Serves 8 A LITTLE EFFORT GREAT VALUE Preparation: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling time Cooking: 2 hours

For the pork belly:

pork belly 2 x 800 g
sea salt a generous pinch
dried chillies 2
garlic 8 cloves
ginger 2 x 5 cm pieces, thickly sliced
masala curry powder 1½ T
curry leaves 4 sprigs
mustard seeds 1 T
coconut milk 1 x 400 g can
Woolworths chicken stock concentrate 2 sticks
water 1–2 cups

For the noodles:

white bread flour 600 g
salt ½ t
water 1½ cups

Heat the oven’s grill to its maximum. Score the fat of the pork belly and salt generously. Place the pork belly on a cooling rack in a roasting pan to catch the juices and grill for 30 minutes or until bubbly and puffy. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients except the stock and water in a large, deep baking tray. When the pork is crispy, remove from the oven, reduce the oven’s temperature to 200°C and place the pork into the baking tray. Add the stock and enough water to submerge the pork belly in the liquid but do not cover the Roast for 1½ hours, watching closely to ensure the crackling doesn’t catch. If it does, loosely cover with foil to protect it. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the juices to absorb the flavour. The noodles can be made in an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment or by hand. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the water until the mixture comes together. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 10–15 minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth or wrap in clingwrap and chill for 30 minutes. This is a stiff dough, so don’t be tempted to add more water. Once the dough has rested, flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm. If the dough keeps bouncing back, allow it to rest for 5 minutes between rolls – this will help the gluten relax. Fold the dough into layers, dusting liberally with flour between layers. You can either cook the noodles immediately or wrap in clingwrap and chill for 1–2 days until you are ready to cook them. When ready to eat, cut the dough into thick strands using a sharp knife. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 10 minutes. Taste before draining to see if they are cooked to your liking. Heat the pan juices from roasting the pork belly in a pan, toss the hot noodles and serve immediately with the sliced crispy pork belly.