Roast Pork Belly Stir-fry

Leftovers. Good god. What are they good for? Absolutely everything! Say it again…

(I see Rush Hour on HBO just one time and this is how I am for a whole week!)

But really now…let’s have a sit down and a chat about leftovers. I’ve already ready mentioned leftover recycling here, but, in my ongoing personal quest against food waste, I think it merits more air time. As the price of food is rising (along with the general cost of living…what fun), I find myself looking for more ways to cut costs every time I’m at the grocery or market. And I’d like to be able to do this without feeling totally bereft of those goodies which I feel I deserve for all my hard work.

On another front, more and more food is going to waste, which I think is a real crime considering that food is a gift from nature and from God (whichever is your persuasion…it’s still a gift). More so when you consider how many of our fellow humans suffer from a painful lack of daily sustenance.

Now, I’m not going to get on a platform and tell you the same things told to me about “what happens when you don’t finish your food”. I am as guilty as anyone on that count. Instead, I am going to start finding ways to stretch the food I do have and give my leftovers a new lease on life.

Starting with this…

Roast Pork Belly Stir-fry
(inspired by Market Man’s use of leftover porchetta)

• Canola oil
• 200-250 grams (chopped weight) roast pork belly, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce

– Heat a litle oil in a skillet then add garlic, onions, and red bell pepper. Sauté until onions and pepper are soft.
– Add chopped pork belly and sauté further until edges are a little browned.
– Add freshly cracked black pepper, soy sauce, and then quickly toss. Take off the heat.
– Serves 2 with a bowl of steaming rice. Or with this.

Pork belly is a cut of meat I adore. It doesn’t take a genius to know I love pork, and its belly is the start of so many beautiful things. A popular way to prepare it locally is simply sliced and grilled – inihaw na liempo. It’s also my favourite cut for roasting, which I discovered when making porchetta. The layers of fat keep the meat tender and juicy during a long slow roast. And, lest we all forget, this is where bacon comes from! These leftovers came from a pork belly I slow-roasted flat. The meat was succulent and tasty but there was no way we could finish it in one sitting, so this is what I served the next day.

Another brilliant thing about pork belly is the price. The piece we got for the original roast went for less than the price of one steak! And lasted for 2.5 meals instead of 1 (more on the .5 later)! And I certainly did not feel bereft while I was eating it 🙂

So, let’s recap: Using leftovers – check! Saving money – check! Still enjoying delicious food – check!

Next up, what I did with the last of the roast pork belly leftovers! Until then, happy weekend everyone! 🙂