Lor Bak / Braised Pork

A funny thing happened the first time i attempted to make lor bak. I had braised the meat for hours in its gravy and at last got the consistency and tendency that i had wanted. When it was time to serve, i was busy so my husband decided to give a helping hand...by draining the gravy away into the sink!!!! He thought it was just lots of oil. So, we had a sauceless lor bak dinner, with a very black face chef and a very frightened husband. :)

ingredients:
3 layer pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
premium dark soya sauce / kecap manis
sugar
5 spice powder
3 star anise
1 cinnamom bark /kayu manis
3-4 cloves
water

1. Marinate the pork with kecap manis/dark soya and 5 spice powder all over. Let to stand for 30 minutes.

Warm some cooking oil in a big pot/wok and throw in the garlic, star anise, cinnamon and cloves until fragrant. Add in the marinated pork. and fry till brown on all sides. Add in water, dark soya sauce/kecap manis and sugar and stew the meat till tender. This can take easily from 1 - 3 hours, depending on the size and tenderness of the meat. Add in more 5 spice powder, sugar or water if needed and taste. Adjust taste to your liking.

After meat is cooked, drain the gravy into a BOWL and slice the meat into bitesize pieces. Serve the meat with the gravy on the side.