Moni's roast pork

Since it's Christmas eve, this is a good time to cook this special dish. This is my favorite and although the basic recipe is Chinese pork asado, I spent years modifying it while we were living in Kauai, Hawaii in the 1970s. It is so easy to make and it has always elicited raves from our dinner guests. Besides cooking it for formal occasions like dinner at home, I also bring it to picnics where the preferred potluck dishes are not the soupy ones.

The spices -- Chinese five spice powder and star anise -- can be found in Chinese grocery stores, supermarkets, or even wet markets. If buying these spices in a wet market, the key is to use their local terms.

If you have queries about the cooking procedure, please leave a comment to this post and I will get back to you quickly.

Moni’s roast pork

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 pcs star anise
1 head garlic, crushed
1 ½ cups water
2 kg pork ham (pigue) – whole with bone removed, tie with cotton string (crochet thread)
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup water

Mix the first five ingredients in a thick cooking pot or Dutch oven. Add whole pork ham (pigue). Cover and simmer in low fire for about 1 ½ hours or until tender when pricked with a fork – you may have to add more water to avoid drying up; make sure there’s about 1/3 cup liquid left in pot when pork is cooked. Remove pork from pot, cut string, and slice thinly (like ham). Thicken the remaining liquid in pot by stirring in cornstarch dissolved in water. Arrange the thinly sliced roast pork in cascading style on a platter. Drizzle some gravy on top of sliced roast pork, but keep a gravy boat nearby.