You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead.
Ingredients
Pork
Marinade
Cucumber Salad
Dressing
Method
Main
1.Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive container, add pork and turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 220C. Pour excess marinade into a baking dish with veal stock and place pork necks on a wire rack set over a baking dish. Cook for 2 hours, turning pork after 1 hour. Pork will blacken and turn mahogany, which is the sugars caramelising. To check pork is cooked, insert a skewer: the juices should run clear. Transfer pork to a plate and rest for at least 1 hour.
3.Skim the oil from the surface of the pan juices, season to taste with fish sauce and tamarind water to balance the sugar in the sauce.
4.For cucumber salad, peel cucumber and halve lengthways and crossways. Remove seeds and, using a mandolin, slice into julienne. Combine cucumber with green onions and coriander.
5.Pour the juices that have accumulated under the resting pork into the sauce. Return pork to oven for 5 minutes to reheat, then using a sharp knife, cut pork into 1cm thick slices, place on plates and spoon over sauce. Toss salad with ubiquitous dressing and place on top of pork. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
6.For ubiquitous dressing, combine all ingredients except lime juice and fish sauce in a mortar and, using a pestle, pound to a paste, season with lime juice and fish sauce and stir well. The flavour should be sweet, sour, hot and salty. Makes about 120ml.
Note For tamarind water, soak tamarind pulp in hot water, then strain, reserving liquid.
Drink Suggestion: Light cabernet franc. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes