Pork pieces marinated in dried red chilli paste and roasted over charcoal or oven-baked until the outside chars and crisps — the festival preparation of the Hornbill food stalls. Simple, charred, intensely spiced and deeply flavoured.
Ingredients
600 g pork belly — cut into thick strips 10 cm long
For the chilli marinade:
6 dried red chilli — soaked in warm water 15 minutes, drained and ground to paste
4 garlic cloves — made into paste
1 inch ginger — made into paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard oil
salt to taste
Method
Make the chilli marinade: Grind soaked dried red chilli, garlic, ginger and turmeric with 2 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Add mustard oil and salt. Mix.
Marinate the pork: Coat the pork strips thoroughly in the chilli paste. Cover and marinate for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature (or overnight refrigerated).
Preheat oven or prepare grill: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Or prepare charcoal grill to medium-high.
Arrange on wire rack: Place the marinated pork strips on a wire rack over a baking tray. The rack allows air circulation and dripping fat.
Roast in oven: Roast at 220°C for 20 minutes. The marinade will char slightly and the pork fat will render.
Turn and continue: Flip each strip. Roast for 10 more minutes until the surface is charred in places and the fat is crispy.
Check doneness: The pork should be cooked through — cut the thickest piece, the inside should be cooked with no pink. The outside should be dark, slightly charred and crispy from the dried chilli paste.
For charcoal grill method: Grill over charcoal for 8 to 10 minutes per side until charred and cooked through. The charcoal adds a smokiness that the oven version cannot replicate.
Rest briefly: Let the roasted pork rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
Serve: Slice into pieces and serve immediately with steamed rice, fresh spring onions and Naga chilli paste on the side.
Note: This roasted chilli pork is a festival preparation made specifically for occasions like the Hornbill Festival where large quantities of food are cooked for communal eating. The charring of the chilli paste on the outside of the pork strips creates an intensely flavoured crust. In the original preparation, pork strips are roasted over open wood fires which adds additional smoky character. The festival version is typically served straight off the fire at food stalls.