Filipino Bánh mì

Pork Belly Sandwiches

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 100 mins | Yield: 4 sandwiches

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Growing up, my family had probably way more than our fair share of pork. It's reflective of Filipino cuisine, which uses a lot of pork, since it's easily accessible and cheap throughout most regions. One of my favorite foods is Lechon Kawali, usually a pan-friend pork belly dish served with rice and dipping sauce. For this recipe, I thought it'd be a perfect meat to go into a Filipino version of the Bánh mì, a mix of crispy skin and moist meat, served with pickled onions and baby bok choy.

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Ingredients

For pork belly:

· 2 lbs pork belly (2 pieces, about 8 inches long and 1/2 inch thick)

· 1 cup water

· 3 tbsp sugar

· 1 tbsp salt

· 2 tbsp soy sauce

· 3 cloves garlic, chopped

· 3 bay leaves

· 1 tbsp crushed chili (optional)

· 1 tbsp whole peppercorns

For sandwiches:

· 1 loaf of French bread, cut into 4 pieces (I used a wider french bread, but adjust as necessary depending on what's available at your bakery or grocery store)

· 1/4 lb baby bok choy

· 1 tbsp hoisin sauce

· 1 tbsp sriracha

· Pickled red onions for garnish

(mix 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp whole peppercorns, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 a

red onion and let rest for at least 1 hour)

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Mix together ingredients for pickled red onions if making from scratch.

2. In a medium bowl, mix water, sugar, salt, soy sauce, chopped garlic, bay leaves, chili and whole peppercorns. Set aside.

3. Place pork belly on an oven dish, wide side down. Pour mixture into the pan and cover with aluminum foil.

4. Let pork cook for 45 minutes, flip, re-cover with foil, and cook for additional 45 minutes. At this point, pork should be very tender and some fat would have rendered off from the pork belly.

5. Drain the liquid from the dish (it could be saved for the base of a sauce) and set the oven to 425° F. Place the pork back into the oven, this time uncovered, for another 20 minutes or until skin is crispy.

   1. Depending on how big your oven is and the type of pan used, the pork may need less time so be sure to keep an eye on it.

6. Let the pork rest and cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces. Blanch baby bok choy in boiling water for about 3 minutes until bright green, but before becoming too tender.

7. Mix together sriracha and hoisin sauce and spread across toasted (optional) bread.

8. Place bok choy and chopped pork between the bread.

9. Garnish with pickled onions.

10. Enjoy!