Slow Braised Pork Belly (Tung Po Pork Belly)

1.5kg pork belly (including skin)
1/2 cup dry sherry/chinese rice wine/mirin
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup dark caramel soy
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves of garlic lightly bruised
6 slices of ginger about 1/2cm thick
6 spring onions cut in half
A few tablespoons of oil for initial browning
3 tsp of brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Method

Blanch meat in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes.
Remove and dry with kitchen paper.
Heat a large pot, then add oil and lower heat.
Add meat, skin-side down, and brown skin slowly until golden and crisp (10-15 minutes).

Lift meat from wok and wipe off any excess fat with kitchen paper.
Remove oil from pot and add soy sauces, sherry , water, star anise, cinnamon stick, garlic, spring onion, ginger, brown sugar, and meat.
Bring to a simmer on a stovetop, cover tightly, and cook for 3 hours or until meat is tender. Stock should thicken to gravy consistency.
Sliced meat into 1cm thick while it’s hot and add gravy to sliced meat and serve.