Tamarind and chilli pork sliders

Alan Gillard

Tamarind, sour and tangy, cuts through the sweetness of chilli sauce. The star anise can be omitted or use cloves instead. Serve the pork hot or at room temperature, with a few fresh herbs to garnish with several forks for diners to tuck in and pull off their preferred serving.

For the sliders

1 ½ kgs	Pork shoulder, or pork belly (Main)
¾ cup	Sweet chilli sauce
3 Tbsp	Tamarind chutney
1 Tbsp	Freshly grated ginger
2	Star anise, crushed

For the Asian pesto

2 cups	Fresh basil, loosely packed leaves
½ cup	Coriander leaves, loosely packed
2 tsp	Minced garlic
1 tsp	Minced ginger
½ tsp	Minced chilli, use up to 1 tsp
¼ cup	Pine nuts
1 tsp	Sesame oil
¼ cup	Light olive oil
1 squeeze	Lime juice

Directions

To make the sliders

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Place the pork in a casserole large enough to hold the meat with a little room to move. Mix together the sauce, chutney, ginger and star anise and pour over the pork, spreading out to coat completely. If time allows, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 2½-3½ hours or until the meat can easily be pulled into shredded pieces. Cooking time will depend upon the cut, whether the meat was cold from the fridge and the type of casserole used. The pork can be cooked at 140C though you will need to allow an extra hour's cooking time. In a slow cooker, cook for 5-6 hours on low.
3. Remove the pork from the cooking vessel, scoop off any excess fat that has risen to the top. The juice can be served with the shredded pork. If the pork has been cooked in a slow cooker, there will be more juice accumulated; place into a saucepan, bring to the boil to reduce a little.
4. Use two forks to shred the meat into long, thin strips or chunky pieces, toss with the juice and serve in warm slider buns spread with Asian pesto — if wished— mashed avocado and a crunchy lettuce leaf. Top with the bun and secure with a bamboo skewer, pierced through a tiny cheeky slice of lime.

To make the pesto

Into a food processor put the basil, coriander, garlic, ginger, chilli, pine nuts and sesame oil and process until well chopped. Gradually pour the oil down the feed tube into the pesto and process until smooth. Season with salt and a squeeze lime juice. For a thinner pesto soften with a little cool boiled water. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes about ¾ cup.