STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Assam braised pork belly is a dish that I learnt from my eldest daughter’s mother-in-law. It is one of her specialty dishes that is really well-received by her family and friends.
I happened to be at their house when my daughter’s mother-in-law prepared her famous Assam braised Pork Belly. And WOW! I must say that the pork really melts in your mouth! The tangy taste of assam gravy also makes your mouth water.
My daughter’s mother-in-law was kind enough to share with me her treasured recipe, which I have tried making. Today, I’m sharing this recipe with you as well. I hope you will try out this simple yet super delicious dish, and that it will also become one of your family’s favourite!
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH
- The melt in your mouth pork belly slices are really addictive. One piece will not be enough!
- The tangy, slightly spicy taste of the Assam (tamarind) compliments well with the fatty pork, cutting through the taste of collagen.
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HOW TO MAKE ASSAM BRAISED PORK BELLY?
Wash and clean the pork belly thoroughly to get rid of the smell (see detailed recipe notes for the method).
Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for 10 minutes, then wash and pat dry.
Mix 150 ml of water with the assam and squeeze out the juice, until the seeds separate cleanly from the pulp.
Sieve the assam juice into a big bowl, using a spoon to squeeze out all the juices from the assam pulp.
Add the assam juice, dark soya sauce and sugar to the pork belly and mix well. Then allow the pork to marinate for 5-6 hours, turning it over midway to ensure all sides of the pork are nicely marinated.
Add the pork belly and assam water to a pot, followed by 250ml water, rock sugar and salt, then bring back to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, lower the heat to medium then simmer for 1.5 hrs or until the pork is soft and tender. If the water starts to dry up, add a little boiling water and continue to simmer otherwise it can get burnt easily.
Towards the end of the braising process, the sauce should thicken and turn slightly sticky. Be careful to stir the sauce and turn the pork frequently as its easy for the dish to get burnt at this stage.
Check if the pork is tender enough, if not, you may need to extend the braising time by another 10-20 minutes.
Once done, remove the pork belly and cut into thin slices. Garnish it with parsley and cut chillies. Best served hot with rice or steamed leaf buns.
MAKE AHEAD / TIME SAVING TIPS
- Do the preparation the night before then leave the pork to marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Make this a few days ahead! As with most braised dishes, this Assam Pork will actually taste even better if you leave it in the fridge for a few days after it is cooked, and then re-heat before serving. This way, the flavours from the gravy will really seep into the meat and make it so tender and flavourful. Thats why its a great dish to make-ahead for an upcoming meal or potluck gathering.
- Make a larger batch and freeze up the extra portion for a rainy day when you have no time to cook.
COOKING TIPS
- You can substitute pork belly with Bu Jian Tian (不见天) which is actually Pork Armpit, or Twee Bak with skin on (also known as Pork Butt but which is actually the upper part of the pork shoulder).
- Clean the pork thoroughly to remove the porky smell. First, use a sharp knife to scrape the pork skin to remove the thin film of covering. Next, rub the skin with coarse salt to exfoliate it, then rinse it thoroughly. Blanching the pork in boiling water is also a crucial step to remove the scum. After blanching the pork, discard the water and rinse the pork thoroughly.
- Some brands of assam and dark soya sauce are super salty. I usually use the Orchid Brand assam and Elephant Brand Dark Soya Sauce. Both brands are products of Thailand. For other brands which are more salty, you may need to reduce the quantity slightly. You may want to wait until towards the end of the braising process to taste the sauce and see if you still need to add the pinch of salt.
- If the gravy is drying up too fast, add boiling water. Tap water will affect the temperature of the dish, and so the cooking time will no longer be accurate.
- To tell whether the pork is tender enough, use a satay stick to poke through the centre of the pork – it should glide thorough easily. Otherwise, you can continue to braise it for another 10-20 minutes until it is tender.
- If the sauce is still too diluted by end of braising process, turn the heat up to high to evaporate off some of the gravy until it turns slightly sticky. Take extra care to turn the pork and stir frequently to avoid the dish getting burnt.
- For a spicy version of this dish, add in some chilli padi by bruising the whole chilli and add to the pork during the last 15 mins of the cooking time!
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Egg-Free
- Fish-Free
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free dark soy sauce
- Nut-Free
- Shellfish-Free
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Assam Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 500 gm Pork Belly
- 1/8 Tsp Salt
- 30 g Rock Sugar
Marinade
- 1 TBsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 .5 TBsp Sugar
- 80 g Assam (tamarind)
Garnishing (Optional)
- 1 sprig Parsley
- 2 small Chilli
Other Kitchen Supplies (Optional)
- 2 TBsp Coarse Salt For washing the pork belly
Instructions
PREPARATION METHOD
- Wash and clean the pork belly thoroughly to get rid of the smell (see detailed recipe notes for the method).
- Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for 10 minutes, then wash and pat dry.
- Mix 150 ml of water with the assam and squeeze out the juice, until the seeds separate cleanly from the pulp.
- Sieve the assam juice into a big bowl, using a spoon to squeeze out all the juices from the assam pulp.
- Add the assam juice, dark soya sauce and sugar to the pork belly and mix well. Then allow the pork to marinate for 5-6 hours, turning it over midway to ensure all sides of the pork are nicely marinated.
COOKING METHOD
- Add the pork belly and assam water to a pot, followed by 250ml of water, the rock sugar and salt, then bring back to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to medium then simmer for 1.5 hrs or until the pork is soft and tender. If the water starts to dry up, add a little boiling water and continue to simmer otherwise it can get burnt easily.
- Towards the end of the braising process, the sauce should thicken and turn slightly sticky. Be careful to stir the sauce and turn the pork frequently as its easy for the dish to get burnt at this stage.
- Check if the pork is tender enough, if not, you may need to extend the braising time by another 10-20 minutes.
- Once done, remove the pork belly and cut into thin slices. Garnish it with parsley and cut chillies. Best served hot with rice or steamed leaf buns.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD / TIME SAVING TIPS
- Do the preparation the night before then leave the pork to marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Make this a few days ahead! As with most braised dishes, this Assam Pork will actually taste even better if you leave it in the fridge for a few days after it is cooked, and then re-heat before serving. This way, the flavours from the gravy will really seep into the meat and make it so tender and flavourful. Thats why its a great dish to make-ahead for an upcoming meal or potluck gathering.
- Make a larger batch and freeze up the extra portion for a rainy day when you have no time to cook.
COOKING TIPS
- You can substitute pork belly with Bu Jian Tian (不见天) which is actually Pork Armpit, or Twee Bak with skin on (also known as Pork Butt but which is actually the upper part of the pork shoulder).
- Clean the pork thoroughly to remove the porky smell. First, use a sharp knife to scrape the pork skin to remove the thin film of covering. Next, rub the skin with coarse salt to exfoliate it, then rinse it thoroughly. Blanching the pork in boiling water is also a crucial step to remove the scum. After blanching the pork, discard the water and rinse the pork thoroughly.
- Some brands of assam and dark soya sauce are super salty. I usually use the Orchid Brand assam and Elephant Brand Dark Soya Sauce. Both brands are products of Thailand. For other brands which are more salty, you may need to reduce the quantity slightly. You may want to wait until towards the end of the braising process to taste the sauce and see if you still need to add the pinch of salt.
- If the gravy is drying up too fast, add boiling water. Tap water will affect the temperature of the dish, and so the cooking time will no longer be accurate.
- To tell whether the pork is tender enough, use a satay stick to poke through the centre of the pork - it should glide thorough easily. Otherwise, you can continue to braise it for another 10-20 minutes until it is tender.
- If the sauce is still too diluted by end of braising process, turn the heat up to high to evaporate off some of the gravy until it turns slightly sticky. Take extra care to turn the pork and stir frequently to avoid the dish getting burnt.
- For a spicy version of this dish, add in some chilli padi by bruising the whole chilli and add to the pork during the last 15 mins of the cooking time!
Hihi…
Can check wiz u ..after blanching the Pork, which will be Sen cook , we marinate it and put into the fridge governor . Is it alright to marinate semi cook meat in the fridge ?
Thanks , hope to hear from you soonest.
Hi Amy, you can. Pl post a picture for us after you hv done it n let us know how it goes.
Hi Bee Leng ,
I just tried cooking it. The taste is right.!However after braising , the meat was not as moist.. not so melt in your mouth . It was slightly on the dry side.. I braised slightly 10 min longer than 1.5 hour as I find my sauce still not sticky enough.. I also turn up the heat to quicken the evaporation.. Could I have braised too long? Must I bring the meat to room temperature after marinating in the fridge ?What causes the dryness? Not able to show picture as we just ate it for dinner..????
Hi Amy C, There are a few reasons:- 1) Frozen pork and pork that has been put in the freezer for too long will cause the meat to dehydrate thus become dry after braising. 2) After marinating , need to cling wrap the meat or put into a ziplock bag before placing it in the fridge. 3) The marinated meat must be brought back to room temperature before you braise it 4) Fresh Indonesian pork from the wet market is a preferred choice. If not , you can get the fresh Bulan pork at the Butchery counter at some supermarkets… Read more »