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 Hosted By
Ellice & Monty |
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12 shallots, coarsely chopped |
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3' pieces of fresh galangal, peeled, thinly sliced with the grain, cut into matchsticks about 1 inch long and ¼ inch thick |
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2 pieces of cinnamon sticks (4 inches long) |
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2 lbs boneless pork shoulder with skin (preferably) cut into 1 ½ to 2 inch cubes |
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3 Tbsp palm, cider or rice vinegar |
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2 Tbsp double-black soy sauce |
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2 fresh red Holland chiles stemmed, seed and cut into fine matchsticks |
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Place the shallots in a small food processor and pulse until you have a smooth paste. If the shallots won’t purée properly and repeatedly creep up the side of the processor instead of grinding, add up to 2 Tbsp water (1 tbsp at a time), periodically turning the processor off and scraping the unground portions down towards the blade. Set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add galangal and cook, stirring frequently, until each piece is golden around the edges and a gingery-green fragrance rises above the pan, about 2-3 minutes. Add shallot paste and sauté, stirring often, until the paste no longer smells raw and is lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. (Take care not to over-brown the shallot paste, which will give this dish an inappropriately musky taste. Reduce the heat if the paste begins to scorch, or remove the pan from heat altogether and allow to cool for a few seconds before proceeding). Add the cinnamon, cloves and star anise and sauté until their combined fragrances waft up from the pan. Do in two batches if needed: Add pork cubes and sauté them on all sides until each piece begins to brown in spots, 5 – 10 minutes. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar – mix well to combine, bringing up all the tasty bits (fond) at the bottom of the pan. Bring mixture to a steady, bubbly boil. Immediately reduce heat to low. Cover partially and continue cooking at a steady, very gentle simmer stirring occasionally, until about 3/4th of the liquid has evaporated and the meat offers little resistance when poked with a fork, about 2 hours. Don’t cook the meat until it’s mushy or falling apart. You’ll probably need to adjust heat a few times during this period to maintain a steady, very gentle simmer. Remove lid and raise heat to medium. Bring the liquid to a rapid simmer (but not a boil), stirring often but gently to prevent sticking and being careful not to shred or break the meat. Continue cooking until nearly all of the liquid has simmered away, leaving only a thick, chocolate brown reduction, clinging to the meat. This will take roughly 30 minutes, depending on how much liquid is left in the pan. Transfer pork to a serving dish and allowed to rest for a least 30 minutes. Garnish with chiles as the dish is monochrome. Serve warm or at room temperature. This dish is great reheated.
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