Ohhh boy. I made such an INSANE Asian fusion dish, which I swear had angels singing (or crying tears of joy) because it was on a whole ‘nother level! My boyfriend even said it’s up there in his top five dishes of all time!

Five spice pork belly with grilled peach slaw – who would have thought that they’d be crazy good together?  I really, really loved how the warm, slightly salty flavours of the five spice Cantonese pork belly complemented the tangy but sweet Southwestern inspired slaw. The first bite is an explosion of flavour and crunch (did you see that crackling?!) that just works well and tingles your lips at the same time.

What really helped elevate this dish was using local peaches from Niagara, which were SO sweet and juicy. They didn’t have to travel that far like the peaches from the US, and are in season right now in Ontario. This was my first time grilling them and can definitely say their sweetness is brought out even more after being barbecued! It’s perfection tossed together with homegrown cherry tomatoes, shallots, parsley, red pepper and lime juice. I was trying to find a kickass recipe that involved peaches for the Loblaws Share the Food Love contest, and this did not disappoint!

Ah, pork belly, my second favourite type of meat… with ribeye being the #1. LOVED this so much. The five spice, shaoxing wine, salt, pepper and a touch of soy sauce worked really well. Not to mention it was baked at a low temp, and then put on broil for a few minutes to get that crunchy crackling. I used an interesting technique, placing sea salt on top of the skin so that the skin doesn’t cook while it bakes and allows you to finish the crackling evenly at the end.

Overall, not complicated to make, and the payoff is huge. The vibrant colors and fresh flavour of this summery dish leaves me feeling bittersweet that summer’s about to end – make this dish ASAP and serve it with salad!

Cantonese Pork Belly with Grilled Peach Slaw

Adapted from Nigel Slater

For the rub
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

For the peach salsa
1 shallot
chili flakes
3 peaches
8 cherry tomatoes
a small bunch coriander/parsley
juice of 2 limes
Method

Put the pork belly in a china or glass dish.

For the rub, peel and crush the garlic to a paste, stirring in the soy, dried chilli flakes, Shaoxing wine, salt, pepper and five-spice powder. Spread this paste over the skin and underside of the pork belly. Leave it to marinate for a good 4 hours, if not overnight.

When the pork has marinated, preheat the oven at 350 F and bake for 1 hour. Broil on high for 5-10 minutes until the skin is dark and crisp. Leave for 10 minutes to rest, then carve.

Meanwhile, to make the peach salsa: preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue to high. Brush peaches with oil, then grill, cut-side down, for 5 minutes until charred. Remove from heat and chop. Place in a bowl with remaining ingredients, then season and toss to combine. Mix gently then dress with the lime juice.