Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns

Using a very sharp knife or box cutter, score the skin of the pork belly at 1cm intervals but don’t cut down to the meat.

Turn the pork meat-side up and rub the wine into the meat. Combine all the spices and sugar together and rub into the meat. Place on a plate, skin side up and refrigerate for 24 hours, uncovered, to dry out the skin.

TO COOK: Season the meat side with sea salt. Place the pork skin side up on a piece of foil and fold the foil up snuggly around the pork belly so that it covers all sides of the meat but leaves the skin exposed. Brush the skin with vinegar and season with sea salt.

Preheat the air fryer to 210°C on air fry.

Put the pork parcel in the basket and cook for 20 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 180°C on air fry.

Cook the pork for a further 10 minutes. If the crackling needs a little more cooking, turn the air fryer to max crisp and cook for 2–3 minutes more but keep a close eye on it as it can go from gloriously golden to badly burnt very quickly.

Take the basket out of the air fryer and leave the pork parcel in to rest for at least 15–20 minutes. Lift out and slice thinly.

TO SERVE: Fill the warm bao buns with slaw and pork and top with a spoonful of chilli crisp.

SERVING SUGGESTION: I find the best way to slice the pork is to put it crackling side down on a board and cut through into thin slices with a very sharp knife.

Slaw with Sesame Mayo (GF) (V)
⅓ cup kewpie mayo
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
Sea salt and ground pepper
3 cups finely shredded cabbage, use white or red or a mix of both
1 medium carrot, cut into thin matchsticks

Whisk the mayo, sesame oil, garlic and ginger together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage and carrot and toss together until well coated in the mayo. Makes 3 cups