Wok-Charred Cabbage with Crispy Salt-and-Pepper Pork Belly

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin slices of pork belly render slowly in a hot wok until the edges shatter like cracklings, then cabbage wedges hit the rendered fat and blister at the edges while staying sweet and crunchy in the middle. A quick toss of garlic, ginger, fresh chili and freshly ground Sichuan pepper turns it into a full one-pan dinner that is almost entirely fat and vegetable — deeply savory, no starch anywhere in sight.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb skinless pork belly, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

• 1.5 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• 1.5 lb green cabbage, cut into 1.5-inch wedges through the core
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1 fresh red chili, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp granulated erythritol or monk fruit sweetener
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Toss the sliced pork belly with the Shaoxing wine, 2 teaspoons soy sauce and the white pepper in a bowl. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prep everything else — a wok stir-fry moves fast, so have all ingredients cut and within reach.
2. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant and just starting to smoke. Cool for 2 minutes, then grind in a spice grinder or crush in a mortar. Mix with the kosher salt and red pepper flakes and set this salt-and-pepper mix aside.
3. Heat a large carbon steel wok or 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the pork belly in a single layer (work in two batches if crowded) and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, then stir and continue cooking 6 to 8 minutes more until the fat has rendered out and the slices are browned and crisp at the edges.
4. Using a slotted spoon, lift the pork to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour off the rendered fat into a heatproof bowl, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Reserve the rest for another use.
5. Raise the heat to high and add the avocado oil to the pan. Lay the cabbage wedges in cut-side down and let them char undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the flat faces are blackened in spots. Toss and sear 3 minutes more; the cabbage should be crisp-tender with browned edges.
6. Push the cabbage to one side, add the garlic, ginger and sliced chili to the bare part of the pan and stir for 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Toss everything together.
7. Return the crisp pork belly to the pan along with the scallions. Sprinkle over three-quarters of the salt-and-pepper mix and toss for 1 minute.
8. Stir the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, rice vinegar and sweetener together, pour it around the edge of the hot pan, and toss for 30 seconds until it sizzles away into a glaze. Kill the heat, drizzle in the sesame oil, toss once more, and taste — add the remaining salt-and-pepper mix if you want more punch. Serve immediately, straight from the pan.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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