How to cook Five-Spice Pork Belly with Forced Rhubarb

Method for the pork belly

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C /130°C fan assisted (gas 2).
2. Make sure the pork is nice & dry, wipe over with some kitchen paper to remove any moisture.
3. Rub the pork all over with a little schmaltz & salt then the spices only on the meat.
4. Place the pork on a sheet of foil & cover the meat leaving the skin exposed.
5. Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours until tender.
6. Raise the temperature of the oven to 220c fan & cook for a further 20 minutes to crisp up the crackling.

Method for the rhubarb compote

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C /160°C fan assisted (gas 4).
2. Layer the rhubarb onto a tray, sprinkle with a little sugar & bake for 15 minutes until tender.
3. In a saucepan combine the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, sugar and orange zest & juice, ginger, anise & shallot then bring to a boil.
4. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring often, until rich & syrupy then add the baked rhubarb & continue to cook until thick & glossy, remove the star anise.
5. Transfer to a blender and puree.

To serve

Serve with cabbage tossed in garlic & salted butter, alternatively fill into bao buns with a dollop of the rhubarb compote.