Lemongrass Porchetta

Fatty, juicy pork belly infused with a fresh, vibrant lemongrass paste, this Vietnamese-inspired porchetta makes a great festive meal or Sunday roast. You can enjoy it straight, with salad, with some stirfried Asian greens and steamed rice. Both fish sauce and lemongrass are available in most Asian grocery shops.

	Lemongrass Paste
2.5-3 kg Pork belly, butterflied into a single rectangular piece Tallow, melted or oil Sea salt Sugar free sweet chilli sauce, to serve 400 g Carrots, roughly grated 3 tbsp Chives, chopped A handful Cilantro, chopped 1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated 2 Garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp Olive oil 2 tsp Toasted sesame seed oil 3 tbsp Rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp Honey 1 tbsp Gluten free light soya sauce 1 tbsp Sweet chilli sauce Salt and pepper 2 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds 50 g Toasted salted peanuts	8 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 4 French shallots, coarsely chopped 3-5 Lemongrass stems, pale part bruised, thinly sliced 1 Small handful Coriander roots, chopped 1 tbsp Coriander powder 1 tbsp Fish sauce

Lemongrass Paste

2.5-3 kg Pork belly, butterflied into a single rectangular piece
Tallow, melted or oil
Sea salt
Sugar free sweet chilli sauce, to serve
400 g Carrots, roughly grated
3 tbsp Chives, chopped
A handful Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Toasted sesame seed oil
3 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Gluten free light soya sauce
1 tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
50 g Toasted salted peanuts

8 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 French shallots, coarsely chopped
3-5 Lemongrass stems, pale part bruised, thinly sliced
1 Small handful Coriander roots, chopped
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tbsp Fish sauce

To make the lemongrass paste, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Pat the pork belly dry with paper towel. Use a sharp knife to score the skin in a crosshatch checkerboard pattern, cutting just into the fat layer at 1cm intervals.
Place the pork belly on a cutting board with scored skin side down. Hold a really sharp knife parallel to the cutting board and place the blade halfway up the belly. Draw the blade along the edge carefully and gently start splitting the belly in half making it half as thick, leaving one end attached. So now you have one single rectangular piece.
Spread the paste evenly over the meat side of pork belly. Gently roll up the pork into a log and tie it firmly with kitchen string at 3cm intervals to secure. Transfer to a large roasting pan and place in the fridge, uncovered, overnight or up to 2 days to dry out the skin.
Remove the pork from the fridge about two hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 230C/450F. Brush the skin with tallow or oil and generously sprinkle with sea salt, rubbing salt into score marks.
Roast the porchetta in the middle of hot oven for 30 minutes or until the rind starts to crackle. Reduce oven to 180C/350F. Roast for a further 2 hours until pork belly is golden crispy on the outside and juicy, tender on the inside then set aside for 15 minutes to rest.
For the carrot salad, place grated carrots, chives, cilantro, grated ginger and garlic in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, chilli sauce, soya sauce,and salt and pepper and toss well to combine. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds and sprinkle with toasted peanuts before serving.
Slice the porchetta and serve with the salad and sweet chilli sauce.