Food Truck Feasts: Make The Bun Mobile's Sous Vide Pork at Home
No time to track down your favourite food truck? Make it yourself at home.
Food trucks tick all the right boxes when it comes to those late night what to eat dilemmas. They're cheap, fulfilling, fast and guaranteed to be made fresh on the spot, so it comes as no surprise that they've been steadily growing in popularity on the streets of Brisbane.
The Bun Mobile's legendary steamed buns are something you would've heard about if you've been following the local food truck scene from the beginning. Tracking down their distinctive red and blue coloured trucks proves to be a bit of an adventure in itself; their location every night is shrouded in mystery, so diners have to look them up on Facebook or their website to check where they'll be parking on their chosen day. The family-run business, who have a background in international fine dining, cook up a variety of fillings for their pillowy buns — Louisiana chicken, twice-cooked pork, wagyu beef and a variety of specials — and all for under $10 a pop too.
Thankfully, graphic designer and photographer Erika Budiman has done a service for us all in getting hold of The Bun Mobile's recipe for their sous vide pork belly as part of her new recipe book, Food Truck Feasts, a culmination of her year long quest exploring Australia's multicultural food scene. Now that's a job we want. Get ready for the inevitable blissful food coma.
SOUS VIDE PORK BELLY
You'll need a slow cooker to create this dish. A food vacuum sealer is also helpful, although standard zip-lock bags are also sufficient.
Serves 4-6
4-6kg pork belly (we prefer skin on because it enhances the flavour)
2 tablespoons kosher salt (you can use regular salt if necessary)
4 cups water
200ml stock from sous vide pork
100ml dark soy
100ml usukchi shoyu*
100ml mirin
4 star anise
1 teaspoon (heaped) five spice powder
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
steamed bun
creamy coleslaw
butter lettuce
fried shallots
sliced green onions
To prepare the pork combine the salt and water in a large container to make a brine mixture. Mix until the salt has completely dissolved. Place pork in the brine mixture, Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Remove the pork from the liquid and pat dry. Place the pork into a zip-lock bad and seal, ready to sous vide.
Heat the water (enough to cover the zip-lock bag) in a large pot or in a kettle to 63°C (test using a thermometer) and then pour the water into the slow cooker. Submerge the zip-lock bag with pork inside. Slow cook the pork for 24 hours. Remove the pork and rest it.
To prepare the braising liquid combine the stock, dark soy, usukchi shoyu, mirin, star anise, five spice powder and ginger in a medium-size pot. Slice the pork and place it in the braising liquid. Gently simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Serve the pork belly in a steamed bun, with creamy coleslaw, butter lettuce, fried shallots and sliced green onions.
*Usukchi shoyu is a lighter, saltier soy sauce, available from most Asian supermarkets.
Via Food Truck Feasts, published by Explore Australia Publishing, RRP $34.95, www.exploreaustralia.net.au.
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