Pork Belly and Aubergine in Sweet Soy, Made with FlareLine “MELLOW FIRE”

In MELLOW FIRE, cacao nibs come first on the ingredient list. Of everything Inspice makes, this is the one with the most cacao in it. Alongside them: Ceylon cinnamon, star anise, clove, allspice. Spices with a sweet warmth, none of them held back.

Aubergine turns sweet once it takes up oil. Pork belly fat, and a sweet-salty sauce of mirin and soy. The aroma of cacao and star anise runs straight along that same sweetness. There is habanero in the blend, so a heat stays with you after you have eaten.

The moment that matters is searing the aubergine at the start. Hold back on the oil here and the aubergine gives up water later, which thins the sauce.

Time needed: about 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• FlareLine “MELLOW FIRE”: 1/2 tsp (about 1.5 g)
• Pork belly, thinly sliced: 250 g
• Aubergines: 3
• Green peppers: 3
• Naganegi (Japanese long onion): 1/2
• Garlic: 1 clove
• Ginger: 1 piece
• Oil: 3 tbsp (use whichever oil you like; for this recipe we would suggest rice bran oil or light sesame oil)
• Soy sauce: 2 tbsp
• Mirin (sweet rice seasoning): 2 tbsp
• Sake: 1 tbsp
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Salt: a little

Preparation

1. Grate the garlic, then the ginger, in that order (if you have no grater, chop them finely).
2. Deseed the green peppers and cut them into irregular chunks. Cut the naganegi on the diagonal into 1 cm pieces.
3. Cut the pork belly into 5 cm lengths.
4. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar with the FlareLine MELLOW FIRE in a bowl and mix.
5. Halve the aubergines lengthways, then cut them on the diagonal 1.5 cm thick. The cut surfaces discolour if they sit, so cut them immediately before you cook.

Method

1. Put 3 tbsp of oil into a frying pan over a medium heat and lay the aubergine in, cut side down. Leave it alone for about 3 minutes, until the cut surfaces have browned.
2. Turn the aubergine over, cook for another 2 minutes or so, then take it out and set it aside.
3. Put the pork belly into the same pan and fry over that medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the fat runs.
4. Add the grated garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, turning them through the meat.
5. Add the green pepper and naganegi and fry for about 2 minutes, until everything is coated in the oil.
6. Return the aubergine to the pan and pour in the sauce you mixed earlier. Turn the heat to high and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing, until the liquid has halved.
7. Taste at the end and adjust the salt. Adding it a pinch at a time until the seasoning is where you want it is what makes the dish.

If you want more aroma, give it one more shake of MELLOW FIRE once it is on the plate. There is habanero heat in it, so if anyone at the table does not like heat, serve their portion first and shake it over the adults’ only.