Ba Roi Chien Mam Toi (Fried Pork Belly in Garlic Fish Sauce), No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Wash 600g pork belly in lightly salted water and blanch it briefly in boiling water to clear any smell.
2. Score the skin lightly with a knife so it blisters well in the pan. Pat the pork completely dry with kitchen paper so the oil does not spit.
3. Cut the pork into bite sized pieces and season it with 3g pepper and part of the 30ml fish sauce for 30 minutes.
4. Set a pan with 300ml cooking oil over the heat and bring it to about 160 degrees C, then fry the pork the first time until cooked through and the skin has dried. Lift it out and let it cool.
5. Fry it a second time at 190 degrees C so the skin crackles and the pieces turn deep golden, then lift them out to drain.
6. Mix the remaining fish sauce with 18g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 3g MSG, a little water, 5g chili and 20g minced garlic. In a clean pan, reduce the mixture over low heat at around 120 degrees C until it simmers gently and thickens.
7. Add the fried pork and toss until the sauce coats every piece, turning a deep mahogany and smelling fragrant.
8. Turn off the heat and sprinkle over a little fried garlic and ground pepper. Serve hot with white rice, cucumber, tomato, lettuce and fresh herbs.

Tips

• Patting the pork completely dry before frying both cuts the spitting and gives even crackling.
• Frying twice is the key, 160 degrees C to cook through and 190 degrees C for the crisp.
• The minced garlic goes in once the fish sauce has thickened, since earlier it burns black and turns bitter.
• Reduce the fish sauce over low heat, since a hard boil turns it bitter and dark.
• Toss the pork in the sauce quickly and take the pan off, because the skin softens again if it sits.