Curry de porc du Nord (Gaeng Hang Lay)

In a large bowl, toss the pork belly cubes with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the curry powder, rubbing it into the meat with your hands. Leave at room temperature for 15–20 minutes so the pork takes on colour and flavour.

• 1 kg pork belly
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp curry powder

✅ C'est prêt quand : the pork looks evenly yellow-gold and smells fragrant of turmeric

Soak the dried chilies in warm water for 10 minutes until soft, then drain. Pound or blend them with the shallots, half the garlic, half the ginger, the lemongrass and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, adding a splash of water if needed, until you have a fairly smooth, fine paste.

• 8 dried red chilies
• 60 g shallots
• 25 g garlic (half)
• 25 g ginger (half)
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• ½ tsp salt

✅ C'est prêt quand : the paste is smooth with no large chunks, and smells strongly of chili and lemongrass