This recipe carries a conspicuous Asian influence, from the five-spice to the pak choi, a Chinese vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family but tastes nothing like it. Also known as bok choy, it has long, green, slightly ribbed leaf stalks and soft, oval green leaves. The leaves and stems are best stir-fried or steamed, so they retain their mild flavour. 
Pork cheeks are available from butcher shops and good supermarkets and are best suited to slow-cooking in liquid. In recipes such as this one the oven does the hard work so once you’ve prepared the cooking stock you can put your feet up for a couple of hours before applying the finishing touches.


Pork cheeks braised in five-spice with pak choi
Serves 6
 

50ml vegetable oil
12 pork cheeks
1 onion
4 cloves
10g coriander seeds
1 star anise
10g Szechuan peppercorns
20g cinnamon stick
60ml soya sauce
1.5l chicken stock
1 garlic bulb
80g unsalted butter, soft
50g plain flour 
2tbsp clear honey 
100ml sesame oil
4 pak choi

Set the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4.
Place a large pot over a medium heat then, when hot, add the vegetable oil. Lightly season the pork cheeks and add them to the oil, cooking on all sides until golden brown. Remove the cheeks from the pan and set aside.
Turn down the heat under the pan, finely chop the onion and add it to the pan, cooking gently until soft and translucent. Add the cloves, coriander seeds, star anise, peppercorns and cinnamon stick and cook the spices for 1 minute to release their flavours before adding the soya sauce and stock. Cut the garlic bulb in half and add it too. When the liquid comes to the boil add the pork, place a tight-fitting lid on top then put the pan in the oven for 2 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and test the tenderness of the cheeks by inserting a small knife into them. If they’re not yet tender, return the cheeks to the oven for a further 30 minutes. When cooked, remove the cheeks from the pan and set aside. 
Continue boiling the stock in the pan until 800-900ml of cooking liquor remains then pass it through a sieve into a clean pan to remove the spices. Bring the stock to a simmer.
In a bowl, combine the butter and flour to form a smooth, soft paste. Whisk the paste into the stock a little at a time and keep whisking until the sauce has thickened. Check the seasoning and add the honey and a little pinch of salt if required.
Place a large saute pan over a high heat and add the sesame oil. Cut the pak choi in half lengthways and season very lightly, then add it to the pan, cut side down, and cook until coloured and slightly wilted.
Once the pak choi is cooked arrange the pork cheeks on serving plates, add the pak choi and serve immediately.