I collect salt and pepper shakers and, back in the day, I found these salt and pepper shakers in Ferndale, New York.  At first I just laughed out loud, I’m a black American and I’ve never seen any black person who looks like this nor like anyone on rice and pancake boxes.  Nobody has, whatever color.  Then, I got serious.  The shakers were porcelain, cheap and in excellent condition!  When I was growing up these aunty and uncle “colored” people shakers and syrup dispensers were ubiquitous but made of plastic.  Anyway, I know I didn’t pay more than 5-7 dollars for them and they always make me laugh.

Garden roses and orchids.

I had a 2.5 lb piece of pork belly in the freezer and thought I’d repeat a tried and true recipe, batter fried pork belly.  My husband, who was always in some other country when I made this, was delighted.

The pork belly, skin on, is sliced into strips, then marinated overnight in a light batter, before deep frying.  Serve with lime chilli mayonnaise and eat them while they’re hot!

Light Batter Fried Pork Belly

2 1/2 lb -3 lb piece of skin on pork belly, cut into strips

1 tbsp grated garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp garlic chilli sauce

1/2 cup corn starch

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Salt

Peanut oil

Mix together the garlic, ginger, chilli sauce, cornstarch, eggs and salt, then stir in the pork strips and allow to marinate overnight.

Heat the peanut oil in a large cast iron skillet, then deep fry 1/3 of the pork at a time.  Drain on paper towels and enjoy immediately.

Lime Chilli Mayonnaise

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1 tsp of Vietnamese garlic chilli sauce

Juice from 1/2 lime

Blend all ingredients and refrigerate.