LynnB wrote:Going to attempt to make pupusas tomorrow. If successful, I will post some pictures. If not, forget I posted this…
Really hope this worked out for you . . .
This was somewhat of a mid-day experiment with a few stray pieces of bone-in pork belly that I wanted to use up . . .
Mise En Place & Makoto VG10 Damascus Gyuto, 210mmCorn starch (later slurried), dark soy sauce, 10-year-aged black vinegar, light soy sauce, chopped garlic, slivered ginger, toasted Sichuan peppercorns, gelatinous chicken stock, pork belly nuggets (blanched in an aromatic bath, then fried in veg oil), scallion tops, scallion bottoms, granulated sugar, Chinese-inspired spice mix and toasted sesame oil.
Blanched the chunks of belly in a pot of water that also included smashed garlic & ginger, 3 scallions knotted together and a splash of Shaoxing cooking wine. Once they were done and had cooled, I seasoned them with the spice mix and a light sprinkle of sugar (to promote caramelization), and fried them briefly in veg oil. Sauce-wise, I was kind of riffing on a kung pao variation that I made a few weeks ago, and that turned out pretty well.
I started assembly by briefly sizzling the garlic and ginger in some veg oil in the wok. Then, in went the scallion bottoms. Once all that was fragrant, I built the sauce by adding stock, vinegar, soy sauces, sesame oil and the corn starch slurry. When that reached the desired thickness, I tossed in the scallion tops and the pork. Once they were warmed and thoroughly coated, the dish was done . . .
On The PlatterGinger-Scallion Pork Belly, garnished with chive and onion blossoms. This turned out pretty darned good, especially for winging it. There are a few adjustments I'd make next time (maybe brine the belly if I have time, a bit less ginger) but by taking techniques and specific parts from a few dishes I've made in the past, I was able to cobble together something that was pretty decent.
=R=
Same planet, different world