Air fried crispy pork belly bites with sticky coconut rice

Ingredients

Pork belly:

• ±1kg piece Eskort boneless pork belly
• 250 ml’s fresh orange juice
• ± 4cm knob ginger – peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 whole star anise
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• A sprinkling of chilli if you like a bit of heat

Sticky coconut rice:

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Method

Pork belly:

1. Place the piece of Eskort boneless pork belly in a shallow dish uncovered in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight to dry out. Once dried cut the pork into ±3cm cubes.
2. Spray the pork liberally with oil, then sprinkle with sea salt. Place half the pork in the air fryer basket and air fry at 200°C for 20 minutes or until just golden and crisp. You can check them at 18 mins. Repeat with remaining pork pieces.
3. While the pork belly is cooking make your sauce. Start by adding all the above ingredients into a small pot over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves then increase the heat to high and allow it to simmer for ±15 minutes or until sauce reduces and thickens.
4. Serve with sticky coconut rice or noodles.

Sticky coconut rice:

1. Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
2. In a saucepan, combine the rinsed rice, coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar. Stir well.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.