This crockpot dish warms the belly and is chock-full of pumpkins which add sweetness. Steel-cut oats take the place of rice for more bite.
Serves 4
Ingredients
150 grams pork belly or bacon
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
8 large dried shitake mushrooms, soaked to rehydrate, sliced, retaining the soaking water
Small handful of dried scallops or ikan bilis, soaked, retaining the soaking water
1 small pumpkin, cut into chunks (butternut squash or spaghetti squash works too)
1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
3 cups liquids (soaking water and/or chicken stock)
2-3 stalks of celery, diced (optional)
If you have a multi-pot which allows you to fry directly in it before using it as a slow-cooker, it will save you washing up one frying pan.
Fry the pork belly and remove from the heat.
Fry the onion in the pork fat until it is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, scallops and/or ikan bilis, and celery, and continue frying until they are covered in fat.
If you are using a frying pan, transfer everything to the slow-cooker.
Add the pork belly, oats and pumpkin and mix well, then add liquids (soaking water, chicken stock or water) until the ingredients are all covered. It will be about 3 cups of liquid in total.
Leave the slow-cooker on for 3 to 4 hours, checking and stirring periodically. When the oats are done to your desired firmness and the pumpkin is nice and soft, the dish is ready to be served. If the garlic cloves are still whole, smoosh them and mix well.
You can add broccoli at the last 10 minutes of cooking, if you wish, so that it doesn’t turn to mush.
Serve with a drizzle of sesame oil and some white pepper, spring onions or togarashi (or all of the above).