Recipe: Christmas roast pork with crackling

One of my favourite roasts is pork with crackling. I started making roast pork with crackling because it's the quintessential "fusion" dish - both my Asian and English friends love it. Plus, I love crackling. As a child, I remember sneaking more onto my plate whenver mum's disapproving eyes were diverted, and being forced to cut away the fatty layers when I was discovered (sob!). Making full use of my independence in London in the early years, I used to ask the lady at Four Seasons to add roast pork (siu yoke) to my roast duck rice all the time - very very yummy on a cold winter's night (sorry mum!).

This is, ironically, mum's recipe. In the past, I used pork belly, which is the cut the Chinese use to make roast pork (siu yoke). Recently, however, my butcher in London persuaded me to switch to the loin, which is less fatty and appeals more to non-Chinese palates. Get your butcher to score the skin deeply, and to string it into a roll (alternatively, the meat can be roasted flat). In Singapore, the friendly butchers at the Swiss Butchery on Greenwood Avenue will do it for you - ask nicely. In London, the friendly butchers at the Ginger Pig in Borough Market will do it as a matter of course. Five spice powder adds an "Asian" touch to an otherwise universally-enjoyed dish.

ROAST PORK WITH CRACKLING

Roasting time: 2hours

Pork loin or belly (approx. 200g per person)
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp five spice powder
1 tbsp ground white pepper
(Note: The amount of dry marinade can be increased or decreased proportionately, depending on the size of your roast. This is the recommended amount for 800g of meat.)

1. Dry fry the marinade ingredients together, mixing thoroughly, for one or two minutes until fragrant. Leave aside.

2. Preparing the meat: In order to produce truly crispy crackling, there are two factors of utmost importance -
i) Firstly, make sure that the skin is scored deeply, almost touching the fatty layer.
ii) Secondly, make sure that the skin is very very very dry.

In order to ensure that the skin is as dry as possible, take the meat out of its plastic wrap immediately when you get home and pat it with some kitchen towels until all the moisture is absorbed. Then, rub the marinade into the meat, pushing it into the scores, until the whole slab is covered. The salt will draw out whatever moisture is left. Leave overnight in the fridge, uncovered. (I never felt comfortable with hanging meat out to air dry...)

3. When ready to roast, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Roast the pork for 10 minutes at this temperature. This kills any bacteria on the surface and seals the juices in.

4. Turn the temperature down to 160 degrees Celcius and roast for 1 hour. The meat will cook during this time.

5. Turn the temperature up to 250 degrees Celcius. Using a spoon, spread some cooking oil over the meat, covering the whole top surface. When the temperature reaches 250 degrees Celcius, roast for 15 minutes. This is the most crucial stage, when the crackling is produced.

6. Check the meat. (Warning: A lot of smoke will be emitted when the oven door is opened.) If the skin is blistered and crackling, it is a successful roast. If the skin is still smooth, this is bad news, and the most likely reason is that the oven was not hot enough.

7. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes. Serve with crispy roast potatoes and some greens.

SUMMARY
200 degrees celcius - 10 minutes
160 degrees celcius - 1 hour
Spread oil (I usually put a roasting pan of oil in to heat at this stage, for the potatoes)
250 degrees celcius - 15 minutes
Rest - 30 minutes
TOTAL: 2 hours