Spice creations

storecupboard Cook flavour-packed meals on a budget with the help of spices and seasoning mixes - it's a great way to make dishes more exciting and prevent food waste recipes

Slow-roast five-spice pork belly & gravy

With its blend of cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns and cloves, Chinese five-spice provides a simple shortcut for aromatic pork. If you only have the option of buying pork belly pieces, go for the thicker end. If the ribs are attached, ask your butcher to remove them, then freeze them to cook another time.

SERVES 5-6 PREP 20 mins plus optional overnight marinating

COOK 3 hrs EASY

1 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

100ml Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry

2 tbsp malt vinegar thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

½ red chilli, roughly chopped (optional)

1-1.2kg piece of boneless pork belly, lightly scored all over

1 tsp sunflower oil

200ml chicken stock

2 tsp cornflour sliced spring onions, chillies and roughly chopped coriander, to serve (optional)

1 Mix together the five-spice powder, soy, honey, rice wine, vinegar, ginger, garlic and chilli. If you have time, pour the mixture into a shallow dish and sit the pork in the dish skin-side up, so only the meaty side is in the marinade and the skin stays dry. Salt the skin lightly and chill overnight if you have time, or for up to 24 hrs. (If you don't have time to marinate the pork, skip this and move straight to step two.)