Gaeng hung lay, northern Thai braised pork belly curry

Grind the dried chilies, big mild ones for colour and small ones for heat, in a coffee grinder.

Put shallots, garlic, turmeric, lemongrass, galangal and a little shrimp paste in a jug and blend with an immersion blender.

Add the ground chilies and the hang le curry powder and blend to a paste.

Cut pork belly into big chunks and place in a dry wok over moderate heat so the fat renders before the pork burns; let them stick and release on their own, browning all four sides.

Add the chopped spare rib tips and toss; they need no browning.

Add the curry paste and toss so it fries in the pork fat.

Add water just to barely cover the pork.

Season with a little fish sauce, black soy sauce to darken, dark brown sugar and a lot of tamarind concentrate.

Simmer low for an hour and 45 minutes to two hours, until the pork is fork tender.

Add whole garlic cloves and lots of julienned ginger and cook another 15 to 20 minutes until the garlic is soft and melty.

Cook to a thick consistency; garnish with extra julienned ginger and serve with rice.