This festive season, I’m taking a fresh look at “rys, vleis & aartappels” with this colourful feast – familiar in its parts, but with oodles of punchy Asian flavours like soy, sesame oil, ginger and star anise. I’ve chosen a beautiful deboned pork shoulder from Klein Joostenberg Butchery (one of my all time favourite meat cuts – economial too), braised it in apple cider and soy sauce with added aromatics, glazed with hoisin sauce, then served with fluffy rice speckled with tender broccolini and green beans, roasted sesame potatoes and a crunchy, zippy asian slaw. The braised roast makes a highly flavoursome, generous amount of gravy.
I’ve sourced all of the ingredients from Klein Joostenberg’s Deli & Butchery, as well as the wine – Joostenberg Estate’s Die Agteros Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022. This is a delicate wine with a complex array of aromas and flavours (hints of baked apple, honey and flint stone). The palate is elegant and marked by a subtle, creamy texture – a stunning show-off wine for your festive table.
The beautiful hand crafted steel roaster is made by Conrad Hicks of The Tool Room, also available from Klein Joostenberg Deli (this is the large size, also available in medium). What a joy to cook in such a stunning vessel!
Serve any juicy shredded meat leftovers the next day on soft, buttered, toasted burger rolls, topped with more slaw, smoky mayonnaise (blend your favourite mayo with some smoked paprika and a few tablespoons of hoisin sauce) and crunchy sweet & sour pickles.
Ingredients: (serves 6-8 people)
For the braised shoulder:
2,5-3 kg deboned pork shoulder
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup apple cider
½ cup sugar
5 ml sesame oil
30 ml white vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
a generous stub of ginger, finely grated
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole star anise
salt & pepper, to taste
⅓ cup hoisin sauce, for glazing
Place the meat on a clean cutting board. Slice off the top layer of skin carefully, and trim any excess fat (save the skin to make crackling if you prefer – find how to here). To a large deep roasting dish, add the stock, cider, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick and star anise. Give it a stir, then add the trimmed meat to the tray, centre. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the top of the roast and season with salt & pepper. Cover with foil, then roast for 4 hours at 160 C until it can easily be flaked with a fork, turning the meat over half way through.
When the meat is very tender, remove from the oven and carefully pour the braising liquid into a smaller saucepan. If you want to, the thin liquid can be thickened slightly by dissolving 2-3 teaspoons of corn flour to 30 ml cold water, and stirring it into the simmering liquid on stove top until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then serve warm with the meat after glazing* (the meat should be casually pulled apart, not neatly carved).
*To glaze the meat, brush generously all over with the hoisin sauce while still warm then return to the oven at 220 C for about 15 minutes.
For the broccoli rice:
2 cups jasmine rice
salt, to taste
15 ml olive oil
2,5 ml sesame oil
250 g broccolini, chopped
a handful fine green beans, finely chopped
a handful fresh coriander leaves
black sesame, for serving
Cook the rice according to the manufaturer’s instructions. While it is cooking, heat the oils in a separate pan and add the broccolini & beans. Fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly charred but still al dente, then stir through the freshly cooked rice, adding the coriander and topping with black sesame. Serve warm.
For the sesame roasted potatoes:
(Tip: I do these on the stove top, as the oven will be in use for the meat or crackling)
4-6 large potatoes, peeled & cut into quarters
canola oil, for roasting
5 ml sesame oil
a few teaspoons sesame seeds (optional)
salt flakes & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Add the potatoes to a large pot of salted water and boil until just tender (about 25 minutes). Drain the water. Heat a large deep casserole over medium heat, filled with about 1cm deep canola oil with the added sesame oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking hot, fry the potatoes on all sides until golden (about 5 minutes a side), sprinkling with some sesame seeds half way through. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, immediately season with salt & pepper, and keep warm in the oven next to the meat, until ready to serve.
For the Asian-style slaw:
1 small/baby purple cabbage, thinly shaved/sliced
a small punnet coriander leaves, roughly chopped
about ⅓ cup roasted salted peanuts
30 ml soy sauce
30 ml rice vinegar (or lemon juice)
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
15-30 ml honey
5 ml fish sauce
salt, to taste
Place the cabbage, coriander & peanuts in a mixing bowl. In a small jar, add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, fish sauce and a pinch of salt. Stir well (or cover and shake), then pour over the slaw and serve at once (don’t dress the slaw ahead of time, it will continue to wilt upon standing – best served straight after dressing).
*This post was created in proud collaboration with Klein Joostenberg Deli.
