Ingredients

• 150g/5½oz pork belly
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 cloves
• ½ tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 1 tbsp oil
• 80g/3oz French beans
• trimmed
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• thinly chopped
• ½ spring onion
• roughly chopped
• ½ onion
• finely sliced
• 50g/1¾oz sweet red peppers
• thinly sliced
• 50g/1¾oz Chinese leaf
• thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions
• finely sliced
• to serve
• 1 tsp chilli oil
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• ½ tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• 100ml/3½fl oz fresh chicken stock

Directions

• To make the pork belly
• put the meat into a saucepan with the star anise
• cinnamon stick
• bay leaves
• fennel seeds and cloves with 500ml–1litre/18fl oz–1¾ pints boiling water. Simmer on a low-medium heat for 45 minutes. Drain through a sieve and place in a cold bowl. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight or for at least 1 hour.
• Slice the pork into 2–3mm thick slices and place in a small mixing bowl. Add soy sauce
• sesame oil
• sugar and corn flour and massage into the pork using your hands.
• Heat the oil in a wok placed over a high heat. When the oil is smoking
• add the pork and sear well on both sides for 1 minute. Remove the pork and set aside
• leaving the pork juices in the wok.
• To make the stir-fry
• blanch the beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Refresh in cold water and set aside.
• Add a little more oil to the hot wok and add the garlic
• spring onion and onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until the onions are lightly browned. Add the red peppers
• Chinese leaf and beans at 30 second intervals.
• Mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients.
• Return the pork to the wok with the stir-fry sauce and boil for 30–60 seconds stirring well. Tip onto a large plate or between 4 bowls
• garnish with spring onions and serve.