Chinese Pulled Pork, Asian Coleslaw on Ciabatta

I am a funny kind of cook.  One minute I'm following a recipe to the letter, the next I'm letting ingredients fly willy-nilly.

Today's recipe was a fluke - and the best yet!  I kid you not, the BEST.  I urge you next time you get a pork roast cut give this recipe a try.  I just about melted off my chair biting into my latest creation, I really did surprise myself.  The pork is the perfect combination of hot, sour, salty and sweet, then, mixed with crunchy Asian coleslaw and chewy, fresh Ciabatta - it couldn't have been better.

You'll have to forgive the state of my end shot, hungry kids and bad lighting don't mix.

Tender pork, ready for shredding

Chinese Pulled Pork
Serves 8

2.5kg of Pork Leg Roast, skin removed and trimmed of fat
1T Chinese 5 Spice, Heaped
3T Soy Sauce
3 Star Anise
1t Chilli Flakes, Heaped (more if you like things hot)
1T Sesame Oil
1T Rice Wine Vinegar
1t Szechuan Pepper, Ground
½ Mandarin Peel
1C Water
3T Brown Sugar
2 Large Onion, Peeled and cut into wedges

Heat oven to 140ºC bake.  In a oven proof pan, with tight fitting lid, add 5 spice powder, soy sauce, star anise, chilli flakes, sesame oil, vinegar, Szechuan pepper and mandarin peel.  Roll the pork in the mix, rubbing it in well.  Pour the water into the base of the pan, careful not to wash spices off the pork.  Cover pan with foil, making sure it dips slightly in the center.  Adding foil like this allows the moisture to drip back down onto the top of the meat, continually basting it while cooking.  Put the lid on the pan and bake for 3 hours (check every hour to make sure there is still at least 1cm of water in the pan, add a little more water if needed).  After the 3 hours the meat should easily come away from the bone.  Remove the bones then with 2 forks shred the pork, fine or chunky, what ever you prefer.  Mix in sugar, onion wedges and enough water to half submerge the pork.  Return to oven with foil and lid for another 4 hours, stirring every hour.  Serve with Asian Coleslaw and ciabatta or with steamed rice and stir-fried Asian greens.

Ciabatta

Recipe can be found here from October 2013
I did a 1 and a half batch which made 15 rolls, enough for 2 meals and a few to freeze.

Asian Coleslaw
You need a stick blender for this


¼ Cabbge, Washed and finely shreeded
1 Large Carrot, Grated
2T Sesame Seeds, Toasted in a fry-pan till golden

Dressing
1 Egg
175ml Neutral Oil
1T Sesame Oil
1T Rice Vinegar
Pinch of salt and cayenne pepper


Put cabbage, carrot and sesame seeds in a large bowl.  In a narrow, reasonably tall container (that your stick blender just fits in to) add all of the dressing ingredients.  Whizz on high and pretty much instantly you've got mayonnaise.  Add dressing to salad, as much or as little as you prefer, and mix well.

A sad shot for something so satisfying