Coconut and ale-braised pickled pork

SERVES 3–4

Saison is one of my favourite styles of beer. Light, sweet, spicy and effervescent, it is a great beer, not only to drink but to cook with, too. And two of my favourite Australian saisons are Temple Saison and Bridge Road Brewers Chevalier Saison. The world-renowned Saison Dupont is also a fabulous beer and well worth finding. Another beer that technically isn’t a saison but has many similarities is La Chouffe – it, too, is one of my favourites to drink and to cook with.

200 ml (7 fl oz) coconut cream

200 ml (7 fl oz) coconut milk

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) saison ale

1 lemongrass stem, white part only

3 cm (1¼ inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled

4 makrut (kaffir lime) leaves

1 long red chilli, finely sliced into rounds

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon grated palm sugar (jaggery)

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) pickled pork, cut into large chunks

10 snow peas (mangetout), topped and tailed

10 sugar snap peas, topped and tailed

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3).

Heat the coconut cream, coconut milk and beer in a flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Give the lemongrass a bash with a rolling pin or the flat side of a knife blade to break it open, then add to the dish. Bash the ginger as well and add it to the dish. Throw in the lime leaves, chilli, fish sauce and palm sugar and slowly bring the sauce to a simmer. Taste for seasoning and a balance between the ginger, fish sauce, chilli and palm sugar.

Add the pork and bring back to a gentle simmer. Put the lid on, transfer to the oven and bake for about 2 hours. The meat should be very fragrant, slightly salty and very tender. The saltiness of pickled pork will vary between butchers, as some are more heavy-handed with the salt than others. When you find a butcher that salts their pork to your liking, stick with them!

Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and cook until they are tender, about 3 minutes. Ladle the stew and lots of the broth over bowls of rice and serve with a nice glass of saison.