Carmelised Pork with Ginger and Vinegar

I got myself back in the kitchen last week inspired by my recent readings of Kylie Kwong.  I decided on this dish - carmelised pork with ginger and vinegar.  I have not  slow cooked pork belly like this before.  Usually I roast it to a super crunchy pork crackling state.  Slow cooking it makes the skin go all gelatinous and gooey....pork bliss!

Now I can only assume that you leave the skin on because the recipe only said pork belly.  It didn't state whether to the leave the skin on or not.  It worked for me leaving the skin on and the flavours were delish.  I did realise afterwards that I used palm sugar instead of brown sugar, so not sure if that changed the sweetness of the dish.  My pork certainly wasn't as dark as was pictured in the book...(but hey food photography always looks better!)

As I was a solo diner for this meal I had a heap of leftovers and the next day the flavours were even better.  I also was able to skim off the solidified pork fat that had set at the top of the container.  The sauce was a jelly.  Perfect!

Cookbook Addict: Kylie Kwong - My China

I've recently 'discovered' Kylie Kwong.  Previously she was someone that I hadn't really taken much notice of.  I saw her on a couple of episodes of Masterchef Australia and my interst was piqued. 

A few weeks ago I saw her at Eveleigh markets dishing up her famous buns and pancakes at her stall and I decided to go look at some of her cookbooks.  Originally I was going to get the Simple Chinese Cooking Class, but then I saw My China and I was hooked.

My love of cookbooks isn't just about the recipes.  It's about the story, the culture, the history and the photography that goes into the book.  I just love reading someone's story about their travels and their food adventures, along with the recipes.  I love to read about the different regions of a country that make up their food culture.

I couldn't wait for my parcel to arrive and I haven't put it down since.  I'm captivated!

Not only does it make me want to travel to China (even more than before) but I'm intrigued in Kylie's cooking.  I want to check out her restaurant Billy Kwong in Sydney and I'm stopping by the stall next time I'm at the markets to say hi!