Spicy Dry Curry Pork Belly

Slice the pork belly into thin pieces. Marinate with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 tbsp corn starch. Mix well and set aside.

Prepare the curry powder paste by mixing 2 tbsp curry powder with 2 tbsp water in a small bowl.

Prepare the asam paste by mixing 1.5 tsp asam paste with 2 tbsp water in another small bowl.

Prepare 10 curry leaves by plucking them from the stem.

Prepare the rempah (spice paste) ingredients: slice 1.5 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 1 red chili (deseeded), 4 green chili padi, and 1 stalk lemongrass. Place them in a blender.

Add a little water to the rempah ingredients in the blender and blend until a smooth paste is formed.

Heat a wok with 3 tbsp cooking oil over medium-high heat.

Add the marinated pork belly to the hot oil and fry until it turns white and is cooked through. Remove the pork belly from the wok and set aside.

Remove excess oil from the wok, leaving about 2 tbsp. Add the sliced shallots (from rempah prep) and sauté until fragrant.

Add the blended rempah to the wok. Stir-fry on high heat until the water evaporates, then reduce heat to low and continue to stir-fry until the rempah is very fragrant and the oil separates (about 5-7 minutes).

Add the curry powder paste and curry leaves to the rempah. Continue to stir-fry on low heat until the curry powder is fragrant (about 2-3 minutes).

Return the fried pork belly to the wok. Dry-fry with the curry paste until the pork is well coated and slightly browned.

Add 1/2 cup water and the prepared asam paste to the wok. Stir well to combine.

Season the curry with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar. Stir-fry until the sauce is well mixed and slightly reduced. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve the dry curry pork belly hot over a bowl of cooked rice, optionally with a fried egg.