The sweet and tangy mango is a perfect accompaniment to the rich and salty pork belly.
Recipe and styling by Ilanique van Aswegen
Photograph by Adel Ferreira
Sweet and sticky Thai stir-fried pork belly and mango salad
Ingredients
PORK
- 10ml (2 tsp) fresh ginger, finely grated
- 125ml (½ cup) soya sauce
- 60ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
- 20ml (4 tsp) sugar
- 10ml (2 tsp) sesame oil
- 10ml (2 tsp) Chinese five-spice powder
- 240g (1 cup) mango flesh, puréed
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) chilli flakes (optional)
- 500g pork belly, rind removed and thinly sliced (like streaky bacon)
SALAD
- 50g (½ cup) spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
- 1 small cucumber, julienned
- 3 stalks celery, leaves removed
- 240g (1½ cups) mango flesh, sliced
- 180ml (¾ cup) orange juice
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive or avocado oil
- 5ml (1 tsp) fresh ginger, finely grated
- 60ml (¼ cup) sweet chilli sauce
- 250ml (1 cup) basil leaves
- 10ml (2 tsp) sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
For the pork, whisk together all of the ingredients, except the pork belly, to make a marinade. Add the sliced pork belly pieces to the sauce and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight, depending on how much time you have.
Remove the pork strips from the marinade and cut into bite-size chunks. Fry in a wok until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, 12 – 15 minutes. Do this in batches, as you don’t want to overcrowd the wok.
For the salad, toss the spring onions, carrots and cucumber together. Use a vegetable peeler to make celery shavings and combine with the rest of the vegetables. Toss in the mango pieces.
Whisk together the orange juice, oil, ginger and sweet chilli sauce, and pour this over the vegetables.
Divide the vegetables onto 4 plates, add the sweet and sticky pork belly pieces, scatter the basil on top and add sesame seeds just before serving.
Notes
Turn this salad idea into a warm meal by replacing the julienned salad ingredients with julienned stir-fried vegetables and cooking it all in the wok. Serve with rice or glass noodles.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
