Pork Belly

Pork belly is the layered cut of fat and meat that makes roast pork crackle and mookata sizzle. Whole belly with the skin on suits a home roast, cubed belly braises well in a soy dish like hong shao rou, and thin strips go straight into a stir-fry or claypot. Shabu-shabu belly comes sliced at 3mm, thin enough to cook in seconds in a hot pot broth. Check the pack for skin-on or skinless before you buy, since a crackling roast needs the skin.