When I want something easy but with an extra punch, best believe I'm making this! These crispy, golden pork belly bites are served with a seriously punchy Lao-style jeow som dipping sauce, it's tangy, salty, spicy and slightly sweet. Pair it with some warm, fluffy jasmine rice and greens and you've got yourself the ultimate quick dinner.

ingredients

for the pork belly

• 500g pork belly, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tbsp fish sauce

for the jeow som

• 4 garlic cloves
• 3–5 red chillies, adjust to your spice preference
• 1 shallot, roughly chopped
• around 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 3–4 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
• 1 tbsp water
• 1–2 tbsp lime juice
• ½ tsp chicken powder
• Pinch of msg

to serve

• Steamed white jasmine rice
• Tenderstem broccoli or your favourite greens
• Chilli oil, optional

method

1: marinate the pork belly

Add the pork belly, black pepper, minced garlic, turmeric and fish sauce to a bowl.

Mix well until every piece is evenly coated.

Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

2: cook the pork belly

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add the marinated pork belly directly to the dry pan as the pork will release plenty of its own fat as it cooks.

Cook for around 3–4 minutes per side, turning occasionally, until the pork is deeply golden, crispy on the outside and cooked through.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

3: make the jeow som

Add the garlic, red chillies and shallot to a food processor and pulse until finely minced.

You can also use a mortar and pestle or simply mince everything by hand.

Add the coriander and pulse briefly. Don't over-process as we want the sauce to have a little texture.

Transfer everything to a bowl.

Add the fish sauce, sugar, chilli flakes if using, water, lime juice, chicken powder and MSG.

Mix well, then taste and adjust to your liking (Add more lime juice for extra tang, fish sauce for saltiness or sugar to balance everything out.)

4: serve & enjoy

Serve the crispy pork belly over a bed of warm, fluffy jasmine rice alongside tenderstem broccoli or your favourite greens.

Spoon the jeow som generously over the pork belly or serve it on the side for dipping.

Finish with a little chilli oil if you're feeling extra and enjoy immediately!