Pork Belly braised in Buah Keluak Sauce
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
So, you like Buah Keluak. And you like Tau Yew Bak. And if so, combining them together makes sense.
There are some who think they don’t like Buah Keluak as they always eat it the traditional way: bittery intense as a stuffing in the seed. I have found that some diners have responded differently if BK paste is used in a sauce (like say, a curry paste) as the nut’s taste is milder.
Now that we can buy prepared BK paste from markets like Tekka, Geylang and even other places, it makes sense to use it more often and find other ways to enjoy it. I have notes on the various recipes I have worked on using BK paste here.
I find this recipe very easy to do, in part because I am familiar with Sous Vide. And it is very delicious, Witt firm but “melt-in-your-mouth” pork belly in a great sauce. Even if you don't do SV, stick around because I will also share some instructions for the non-SV method.
Now that we can buy prepared BK paste from markets like Tekka, Geylang and even other places, it makes sense to use it more often and find other ways to enjoy it. I have notes on the various recipes I have worked on using BK paste here.
I find this recipe very easy to do, in part because I am familiar with Sous Vide. And it is very delicious, Witt firm but “melt-in-your-mouth” pork belly in a great sauce. Even if you don't do SV, stick around because I will also share some instructions for the non-SV method.
Ingredients
1 kg of pork belly (skin on)
For the sauce:
10 “pieces" buah keluak paste (see photo below)
10 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tsp white or black pepper corn
2 tbsp or more Gula Melaka or Gula Jawa to taste
3 tbsp or more Soy sauce to taste
2 tbsp or more Tamarind sauce to taste
1 cup of water
3 pieces of dried red chillies
Sous Vide Method:
I normally use frozen pork belly which is one third the price of “fresh” pork belly. I have use both and tbh, I can’t tell the difference. I buy them in blocks so that it is easy for me to vacuum (I have a home chamber sealer) it and SV at 72C for 7 hours. I add one small tsp of salt and so, there is some brining. I normally SV-cook the pork overnight. Chill the bags in the fridge after this.
To prepare the sauce, blend the ingredients in a good blender till it is very smooth. If you have a Thermomix, this will be very easy. Heat up the wok or pot and pour in the sauce. Adjust the sweet, savoury, sour and balance it at this point. It is best to melt the Gula Melaka or Jawa first so that as you add, it is easier to balance the taste. You certainly don’t want this dish to be sickly sweet. You can also balance the taste after you have cooked the pork midway.
Slice the pork into pieces. Top down, the skin should be about 1.5 cm in width. One advantage of pre SV cooked pork is that it keeps its shape well when you cook it further. Add to the pot of sauce and cook very gently for about 20-25 minutes. Depending on your fire and shape of the pot, you may have to add some water. Avoid drying or bottom burning.
Non-SV method:
Slice the pork as above but make it slightly larger (2 cm) as pork shrinks the longer you cook it. Some will pan sear briefly to help it keeps it shape later but if the cooking is gentle and you stir carefully, they can keep shape without any additional extra steps.
The rest of the cooking is the same as above except that you need to gently braise the pork for 45 minutes or more. Use a fork to test if the pork is done: if the fork goes in easily, it is cooked. You can also check out the Tau Yew Bak post I created a few years ago where I shared some tips on cooking good TYB.
Summary
Serve the dish warm but not hot. This goes very well with Sambal Belachan and white rice. I often serve it with Sambal Prawns. As it is a very black dish and not great for photography. So do garnish it with coriander leafs etc. In place of tamarind sauce, you can also lime for the sour. Feel free to experiment.
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| Buah Keluak paste. They come shaped like a seed. |
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