Jamie Cooks Spring
By Jamie Oliver
Hot ’n’ sour rhubarb with crispy pork
Sticky noodles, steamed greens & fragrant herbs
1 hr 50 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 6
About the recipe
I’m combining the beautiful tart tanginess of rhubarb with the sweet and salty flavours of soy sauce, honey and Chinese five-spice to create a gorgeous sticky sauce. It’s giving hoisin vibes, but rhubarb-style. Paired with crispy pork belly, soft silky noodles and lovely steamed greens, it’s an absolute joy.
Recipe From
Ingredients
1.2kg higher-welfare pork belly, bone out, rind and most of the fat removed
groundnut or vegetable oil
4 nests of medium free-range egg noodles (375g total)
500g seasonal greens, such as spinach, spring greens
4 spring onions
1 bunch of mixed herbs, such as coriander, mint, basil (30g)
MARINADE
400g rhubarb
4 cloves of garlic
5cm piece of ginger
2 fresh red chillies
1 heaped teaspoon Chinese five-spice
4 tablespoons runny honey, plus extra for drizzling
2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Top Tip
If you’re using forced rhubarb, you may need less honey in your marinade.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Score the pork fat in a crisscross fashion, then cut into 3cm pieces and place in a roasting tray.
- For the marinade, remove and discard any leaves from the rhubarb, set one stick aside, then roughly chop the rest and place in a blender. Peel the garlic and ginger, halve and deseed the chillies and add to the processor with the remaining marinade ingredients. Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the marinade over the pork and massage it in, then add a mug of water and tightly cover the tray with tin foil. Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender, but not coloured.
- Once the pork is done, finely slice the remaining stick of rhubarb and place in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of honey. Cook for a few minutes, or until golden, stirring occasionally, then tip into a bowl and set aside, leaving the pan on the heat.
- Carefully remove the foil from the tray, then use tongs to transfer the tender pork into the frying pan, leaving the sticky sauce behind. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden (you may need to do this in batches).
- Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, steaming the greens in a colander on top of the pan for 5 minutes, or until tender.
- Trim the spring onions and finely slice with the herb leaves. Drain the noodles, and toss in the roasting tray until coated in the lovely sauce.
- Divide the greens and noodles between serving dishes, top with the sizzling crispy pork and spoon over any remaining sauce. Sprinkle over the spring onions, herbs and pan-fried rhubarb, and serve.
If you want to remove the thin layer of fat that sits on the sauce after cooking, lay a piece of kitchen paper over the top, let it soak it up, then remove.
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