Zak Pelaccio's Crispy Pork and Watermelon Salad Recipe

Ingredients (38)

• 2 cups rice vinegar
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh Thai bird chilies, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1½ ounces palm sugar (1 round gula jawa) or 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• One 5-pound watermelon
• 3 ounces palm sugar (2 rounds gula jawa) or ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 4 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 6 fresh cilantro roots with 1 inch of stems, rinsed, scraped, and rinsed again, or 24 cilantro stems
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• About 3 cups rendered leaf lard or neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 2 pounds Braised Pork Belly (recipe follows), cut into 1-inch chunks while still cold
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Sea salt
• 1 cup fresh Vietnamese mint (rou ram) leaves
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
• 3 scallions, sliced
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• ¼ cup coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 4 cups sea salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 10 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
• 10 fresh long red chilies, such as Anaheim or Hungarian Wax, thinly sliced
• 5 medium shallots, sliced
• 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 cup packed daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves)
• 2 to 3 pounds fresh pork belly
• 2 tablespoons rendered leaf lard or olive oil (the best you can afford)
• 1 yellow onion, cut into sixths
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 shallots, halved lengthwise
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock