Seared scallops with sesame pork, XO dressing and shiso

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Score the pork fat deeply in a criss-cross pattern and rub the marinade all over it. Cover and chill in the fridge for 12 hours, or overnight, turning the pork belly over after 6 hours.

Wipe the excess marinade off the pork and steam in a steamer for 11⁄2 hours until tender. Remove from the steamer and place the pork on a board lined with baking paper. Cover the meat with another piece of paper and a chopping board. Rest a few pots or pans on the board to weight the meat down and leave to press for 6-8 hours, chilling once it is cold.

To make the sauce, pound the garlic and coriander roots in a pestle and mortar, add the white peppercorns and continue to pound into a smooth paste. Spoon into a small pan, add the sunflower oil and cook over a low heat for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce and palm sugar, stir to melt the sugar and bring to the boil. Immediately take off the heat and leave to cool.

To make the XO dressing, whisk the XO paste with the fish stock in a small saucepan over a low heat. Once hot and smooth, remove from the heat, leave to cool slightly, then whisk in the sesame and sunflower oils and set aside.

Pour enough sunflower oil into a deep fryer and heat to 180C. Lay the pork belly on a chopping board and trim the edges to neaten, peel off and discard the top layer of fat. Cut the meat into neat, 1-2cm square pieces and deep fry in batches for around 2 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, then steam the pork again until hot.

Reheat the sauce in a large pan, add the pork cubes and mix. Keep warm until serving.

Season the scallops with sea salt and toss in a little sunflower oil. Sear in a hot, dry frying pan for 2 minutes on each side. To serve, drag a spoonful of the XO dressing in 2 lines on the plates and arrange the scallops and pork in the centre. Garnish with the sesame seeds and shiso cress.