Born out of an effort not to waste excess vegetables in danger of spoiling, this is a creamy and spicy one pot dish that’s best enjoyed with newly cooked rice.
450gramspork belly(about one pound) cut into half-inch strips
1onionpeeled and thinly sliced
6clovesgarlicpeeled and lightly pounded
1two-inch knob gingerpeeled and thickly sliced
3tomatoesdiced
3finger chilies(seeds and membranes removed) thinly sliced
salt
1cuppork bone broth(you may need more)
1 ½cupscoconut cream
250gramsspinach(8.8 oz) cut into thirds
2whole finger chilies(optional) cut into thirds
Instructions
Heat the cooking oil in a wok or pot.
Over high heat, spread the pork strips in the hot oil and leave to brown the undersides. Stir and toss until browned in more spots.
Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, ginger, sliced chilies and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring and tossing, until the vegetables start to soften.
Pour in the broth and coconut cream, and bring to a simmer. Taste and add a little more salt, if needed (as the water content evaporates, the saltiness becomes concentrated so go easy on the salt at this point). Cover the pan and simmer the pork until tender If the liquid dries up before the pork is done, stir in more broth, a quarter cup at a time.
Taste the sauce. If you want more heat, stir in the two finger chilies that had been cut into thirds.
Drop in the lower thirds of the spinach (the portion with the thickest stalks) and stir. Cover the pan and cook for two to three minutes. Add the middle third of the spinach, cook for to three minutes then add the top third of the spinach and cook for another two to three minutes.
Taste the sauce one last time. Add more salt, if necessary.