Name: Pork Belly Sandwich
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h 45 min
Total time: 4 h
Ingredients: 2 carrots, julienned; 200g daikon radish, julienned; 2 1/2 cups water; 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar; 1 cup rice vinegar; Salt; 1 1/2 tbsp yeast; 3 tbsp honey; 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour; Olive oil; Ice cubes; 2 lbs pork belly; 4 cups chicken stock; 4” piece ginger, minced; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine; 1 jalapeño, chopped; 6 tbsp soy sauce; 4 tbsp brown sugar; 1 1/2 tsp lemon grass paste; 2 tbsp mayonnaise; 2 tbsp sriracha; 2 tbsp hoisin sauce; 2 jalapeños, sliced; Cilantro, chopped; Cucumber, sliced

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This Asian inspired pork belly sandwich is packed with flavor! Fresh homemade bread stuffed with Chinese style sticky pork belly, quick pickled radishes and carrots, as well as a layer of sliced fresh cucumber, jalapeños and chopped cilantro.

How to make a pork belly sandwich from scratch?

Start off by quick pickling radish and carrots. In a medium bowl mix together 1 cup warm water, 1 cup sugar, rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Add julienned carrots and radishes. Cover and refrigerate. To make the bread mix together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tbsp honey, and yeast in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes until bubbling. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and 2 tsp salt. Add the yeast mixture and knead together. Then mix in 1 cup of warm water. Knead for 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and form the dough into a ball. Flip the dough in the oiled bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and shape into little baguettes. Place them on the cookie sheet and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Set aside and let rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile in a large cast iron sauce pan mix together chicken stock, garlic, half of the ginger, Chinese cooking wine, and 1 tbsp sugar. Bring to boil. Cut the pork belly into thick slices (1cm) and add to the cast iron pan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450f and place a small tray on the bottom rack. Put the bread on middle rack and throw a few ice cubes in the tray on the bottom. Bake for 15 minutes. Once done, set the bread loaves on a wire rack to cool. In a small bowl mix together 1 tbsp oil, rest of the ginger, chopped jalapeño, 2 tbsp honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lemon grass paste. Set aside. In a separate small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sriracha, and hoisin sauce. Set aside. Remove pork from the pan and drain the liquid. Wipe the pan clean and heat up 1 tbsp oil. Put the pork belly pieces back and brown both sides over medium high heat. Then add the soy sauce mixture and cook over medium heat it until the sauce is sticky and thick, about 5-7 minutes. Cut open the breads lengthwise and assemble the sandwiches. Layer the sticky pork belly pieces, quick pickled radish and carrot, cucumber, jalapeños, and cilantro. Finish by drizzling the hoisin sauce mixture. Serve immediately.

Tips

When rising the dough make sure it doubles in size. If it hasn’t it may need more time or a warmer spot!
These sandwiches can be made up to 3 days before! Just assemble when ready to serve.