Braised pork serve with rice

It's been quite cold this past few days, there were frosty mornings and cold evenings. But was pleasantly cool during day time. These were the transitional period between late winter into early spring. Last chance of making those comfort food for the cold evenings before warmer days set in, and put my Le Cruset cast iron pot to good use.

Braised Pork serve with rice
Ingredients

• 600 gm pork belly-cut into 1 inch thick
• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 cloves of garlic-crushed
• 1 inch of ginger-thinly sliced
• 5 tbsp of light soya sauce
• 2 tbsp of dark soya sauce
• 3 tbsp of shaoxing wine
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 8 dry mushroom -soaked till soft, discard stem

1. Heat oil in the pot. Once hot, sweat garlic and ginger for a minute. Then throw in the pork belly and let it browned for 5minutes. Throw in the mushroom. Continue stirring.


2. Then add in soya sauce, dark sauce, shaoxing wine, water and sugar. Bring to boil.


3. Then lower the heat to minimum and close the heavy lid of the cast iron pot. Let it braised for 2hours. Stir once every hour.


4. The meat should be tender and falvorful after 2 hours. I find that this dish taste better the next day when all the flavor is fully absorbed by the meat.
   
5. Serve over rice.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to attend Japan Day at Kaetsu Centre in Cambridge. There were Japanese arts of display, calligraphy, chado session, martial art session, flower arrangement, origami, manga and of course Japanese food.