Thai-Style Crispy Pork Belly With Sticky Rice & Nam Jim Jaew

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Pat your pork belly dry with kitchen paper, then score the fatty side in a criss-cross pattern by drawing a sharp knife through the skin, deep enough to reach the meat below

Season the skin with a pinch of salt and rub it deep into the criss-cross pattern

Season the rest of the pork with your five-spice mix

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a high heat

Once hot, add the pork belly, fat-side down, and cook for 5 min or until golden and crispy, then flip and cook for 2 min on the other side

Cut pieces of tin foil approx. the size of A4 paper

Lay the browned pork (skin-side up), in the middle of the 2 pieces of foil (doubling it up prevents any leakages!)

Loosely scrunch the edges of the foil around the pork leaving the skin exposed and transfer the parcel[s] to a baking tray

Pour 100ml [150ml] [200ml] cold water around the pork

Put the tray in the oven for 45 min or until the pork skin is crisp and the meat is cooked through and tender (no pink meat!) – this is your Thai-style crispy pork belly

Peel your carrot[s], then continue to peel lengths until you end up with a pile of carrot ribbons

Peel and finely chop your shallot[s]

Trim, then slice your spring onion[s]

Chop your coriander finely, including the stalks

Add your chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and soy sauce to a bowl with your fish sauce, juice of half your lime[s], chopped shallot, sliced spring onion and 2 tsp [3 tsp] [4 tsp] sugar – this is your Nam Jim Jaew

Toss the carrot ribbons in a bowl with most of the chopped coriander (save some for garnish!) and the juice of the remaining lime – this is your carrot salad

When the pork has 25 min left, rinse your sushi rice in a sieve under cold running water for 30 secs (use your hands to really wash the grains!), then set aside to drain fully

Add the drained rice with 200ml [300ml] [400ml] cold water and a pinch of salt to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low until very gently bubbling and cook, covered, for 15 min

After 15 min, remove the pot from the heat and keep covered for a further 10 min before serving – this is your sticky rice

Tip: Don't peek! Keep the lid on the whole time to get fluffy and sticky rice!