Black pepper pork and caramel cake
November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ Connie
For 4 to 6 people, you will need a kilo of pork belly. Cut the pork into two-inch cubes or, if not boneless, just cut between the bones. Place the pork in a wok or pot. Add a tablespoonful of crushed black pepper. Crushed, not ground. Use a mortar and pestle to crush whole peppercorns. Then, add about a teaspoonful of Chinese five spice powder (available in most supermarkets).
Then, add about a cup of dried fruit. The original recipe had dried plums, I couldn’t find any, so I used dried cranberries.
Next, add eight to 12 shiitake mushrooms. Cut off the stems if you like. The stems are tough, I grant you that, but the with the length of the cooking time of this dish, only the pork bones will stay tough and inedible by the time the dish is done.
Add about two tablespoonfuls of sugar, half a cup of dark soy sauce, a quarter cup of rice wine vinegar and two cups of water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. There is no need to stir during the first hour but, after that, as the dried cranberries get mushy and the liquid evaporates, the sauce will thicken. So, after an hour, check occasionally and see if more water is needed to cook the pork through.
How was the cooked dish? It was very, very good. The pork was very, very tender and very tasty. It was neither salty not sweet. Surprisingly, it was the flavor and aroma of the spices that dominated. Mildly spicy because of the crushed black peppers and highly aromatic because of the black peppers and the five spice powder. Why is there no photo of the cooked dish? Sorry, but you you have to cut me some slack on this occasion. Wedding anniversary dinner, after all, and I didn’t want to start it by bringing my camera to the dinner table. 
Tagged: Asian, black pepper, Chinese, five spice powder, Meat recipes, shiitake mushrooms
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the pepper pork looks great, and the cake, yum… was it estrel’s?… happy anniversary
Happy Anniversary!!!
Well, Happy Wedding Anniv Ms Connie!! Yipeee
Thanks again for this wonderful recipe
another good meal na naman.
Actually i have Five Spice powder i bought it in a chinese store a month ago i really dont know what to do with it.
Thinking to use it for marination now meron nako ulet idea! i will cook Black Pepper Pork on my bday! i will try it for sure my friends will love it!
Hmmm nkakagutom
happy wedding anniversary! yeah ms connie, i read through all of page 2, but where was the photo of your dish? hehehe, that’s ok, i had to use a bit of imagination, i’ll sure try it one of this days, thanks. by the way where did u order the cake from?
happy anniversary connie! the dish looks delish and tamang tama, i have most of the ingredients except for the five spice powder.
i’ll try to cook it this weekend if time permits =)
ohhh i want a slice of that cake!! =) wow! 17th wedding anniversary…congratulations connie!
happy anniversary to you both! may you have more wedding anniversaries to come….
i’m sure the dish is superb as always. will have to try this one of these days for hubby who also loves pork….
thanks for the recipe.
btw, your tree is beautiful as it is and the i love the red orange walls! AWESOME!!!!
Sounds really delcious using cranberries!!!
I remember my Mother having cooked a similar dish using prunes. It was a dish everybody just loved during special occasions. I am confused right now whether prunes are dried plumbs. She also added deep-fried quartered sweet potato as a final garnish.
I think this dish deserves to be part of this years Christmas Lunch.
ang ganda ng Christmas tree at parang super sarap ng cake! Happy 17th anniversary!
Than you all.
Mikky, yes. “Caramel cake” in the entry is a link.
dhayL, the missing photo is explained in the last part of the entry on page 2.
Brenda, if you’re interested in the “history” of the orange walls, click here, here and here.
Renato, prune is a variety of plum commonly known as sugar plum.
Hi, Ms. Connie!
Late ako sa greetings, busy-busy-han sa holiday… Happy Anniversary to both of you!
hello ms. connie. happy anniversary to you… am so intrigued now by this caramel cake.. can’t wait to taste it.. too bad we are not allowed to bring food over from back home.. otherwise i’d love to have a taste of this cake. and soon!!!
anyway…is it just the icing that is caramel flavored or is the sponge cake as well? thanks. i hope you could post a photo of a slice of the cake so we’d be able to see what it looks like inside..thanks again
I know the evening turned out well – good food, good dessert and family, that’s all it takes to make a wonderful event. Happy Anniversary.
Hi there! I found you randomly, and was wondering if it would be OK to add you to my blogroll. I love your blog, the pictures, and the writing! And happy anniversary to you!
Thank you! More recipes coming up.
Pearl, of course. Thanks.
Happy Anniversary, Ms. Connie. Enjoyed checking out your blog! More Power.
Happy Anniversary Connie and Speedy. My gosh that caramel cake is to die for.
Thanks, Kitkathie and Dexie. Alam mo, Dexie, Alex doesn’t like that cake. Didn’t touch it. But Speedy and me and Sam? Fiesta! LOL
Hi Connie,
Happy wedding anniversary! The caramel cake looks so yummy! Where did speedy buy that cake? I love sweets.
Susan
Estrel’s, Susan. There’s a link in the entry.
HI Connie,
I spend a lot of time reading & re-reading your site.Thank you very much for sharing recipes,helpful
information,interesting stories,etc.Yes,I’ve tried
some of your recipes.
I love your beautiful tree!!!
Belated happy anniversary and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
God Bless
Emy Medina….Los Angeles,CA
LA,California
Thanks, Emy.