Chairman Mao's red braised pork

Step 1: Put 1 ¾ lb skin-on pork belly in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 3 minutes, skimming off the foam. Drain, rinse in warm water and pat completely dry with kitchen paper.

Step 2: Put 2 tbsp neutral oil and 1 ⅜ oz rock sugar in a wok or heavy casserole over a low heat. Stir gently as the sugar melts and bubbles, for 3–5 minutes, until it turns a deep amber, the colour of strong tea. Take it off the heat if it is colouring too fast; a common mistake is letting it go dark brown, which makes the sauce bitter.

Step 3: Add the pork carefully (the caramel is very hot and may spit) and stir over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until every cube is coated a glossy reddish brown.

Step 4: Pour 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine around the edge of the pan, then add ⅔ oz fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 2 spring onions, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick or cassia bark, 2 bay leaves and 4 dried red chillies and stir for 1 minute.

Step 5: Pour in 3 cups hot water to come almost level with the pork. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until a chopstick slides through the lean and the skin is soft and wobbly. The pork is well past the safe 145°F (145 °F) by now.

Step 6: Pick out the spices and spring onion if you like. Uncover, add 1 tsp salt, turn up the heat and boil for 5–10 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid has reduced to a thick, sticky glaze that coats the pork. Watch it closely at the end so it doesn't catch.

Step 7: Pile into a bowl with the glaze spooned over and serve hot with rice and greens.