Pork belly and prawn fried rice

Crispy, spiced pork belly and juicy prawns tossed through fragrant fried rice with egg, peas and spring onions.

Cut:
  • Portions: 4
  • Prep: 20 minutes, plus 20–30 minutes marinating
  • cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the pork belly

  • 400 g pork belly, skin removed and cut into 1–2 cm pieces
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) oyster sauce
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) chilli crisp or chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) honey or brown sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) Chinese five-spice
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) ground ginger
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) black or white pepper

For the fried rice

  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, divided, plus extra if needed
  • 250 g frozen prawns, defrosted, peeled and deveined
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 4 C (1 L) cold, cooked day-old jasmine rice
  • 1 C (250 ml) frozen peas, defrosted
  • 1 C (250 ml) frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
  • 200 g broccoli florets, trimmed
  • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) light soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) white pepper
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1–2 tsp (5–10 ml) chilli crisp or sliced red chilli (optional)

Method

For the pork belly:
Place the pork belly into a bowl and add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, chilli crisp or chilli flakes, sesame oil, honey or brown sugar, Chinese five-spice, ground ginger, garlic powder and pepper. Toss well to coat, cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for 20–30 minutes. Remove the pork from the marinade, allowing any excess to drain away, then lightly pat dry with paper towel. Place the pork into a cold, dry frying pan or wok and set over medium heat. Cook for 10–15 minutes, turning regularly, until the fat has rendered and the pork is deeply browned and crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving about 1–2 Tbsp (15–30 ml) rendered pork fat in the pan.

For the fried rice:
If there is not enough fat in the pan for the fried rice, add a little of the vegetable oil to the pan containing the pork fat. Increase the heat to high. Add the prawns and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until just cooked through or until they just turn pink. Remove and set aside with the pork. Add a little vegetable oil to the pan if needed, then pour in the beaten eggs. Gently scramble until just set but still slightly soft, then push them to one side of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger to the empty side and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the rice and toss everything together over high heat, breaking up any clumps. Add the peas, sweetcorn and broccoli and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Toss thoroughly until the rice is evenly coated and piping hot. Return the pork and prawns to the pan and toss for 1–2 minutes to heat through. Fold through the spring onions and add the chilli crisp or fresh chilli, if using. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestion: Serve with extra chilli crisp and soy sauce on the side, and a quick cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar for freshness.