Deceptively easy to make, Rosa Matto’s sticky pork buns will impress your guests this weekend.

Recipe Rosa Matto | Photograph Brendan Homan | Styling Natalie Homan

Caramelised pork with carrots, green mango, snow peas and herbs

1L chicken stock, hot
1 x 5cm piece ginger, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp caster sugar
1kg pork belly, meat cut into wide strips

glaze
2 tbsp peanut oil
salt and pepper
1 x 5cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp lemongrass paste
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp light soy sauce

to serve
Steamed buns
Carrots, cut into julienne
Green mango, cut into julienne
Snow peas, cut into julienne
Vietnamese mint
Ordinary mint
Coriander
Sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds

Heat the chicken stock, ginger, garlic, rice wine and caster sugar to boiling. Add the pork slices and simmer gently for 2 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender.
Drain the pork. Keep the stock for soup. When cool enough to handle, cut the pork into strips of 1cm x 5cm.
Add the peanut oil to a wok and add the pork, frying quickly to brown. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the glaze ingredients and pour over the meat, continuing to cook until the pork looks dark and sticky.
Serve in a steamed bun with the vegetables and sesame seeds.