Lau Lau-style Pork Parcels with Orange Butter Sauce
By OcadoLife
Published on 04 October 2023
Created by cookbook authors and TV hosts Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn (aka Hang Fire BBQ), this recipe for Lau Lau-style Pork Parcels with Orange Butter Sauce is their take on a traditional Hawaiian dish typically wrapped in luau leaves and steamed in an underground fire pit. It’s packed with Big Island flavours of citrus and chilli – why not try it with their Veg-tastic Pineapple Rice on the side. Make sure you have a roasting rack that fits inside a tin before you get started and check out the barbecue set-up tips [below].
Time and servings
1 hr 5 minsTotal time
6Servings
15 minsPrep time
50 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 1 chinese leaf cabbage, leaves separated (approx. 6-8 leaves)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the beans
- 3 echalion shallots, finely chopped
- ½ red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 bunch salad onions, chopped
- 80g baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
- 1 birdseye chilli, finely chopped
- 5 oranges, 2 zested and 5 juiced (to give approx. 200ml juice)
- 460g pork fillet, (approx.)
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp onion granules
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 50g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 200g green beans, trimmed
Method
Step 1
Steam the cabbage leaves for a few mins until softened. Remove and leave to cool, then cut out a ‘V’ shape at the base of the thick stem – this will help flatten the leaf and make it easier to wrap the fillet.Step 2
To make the stuffing, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, red pepper, salad onions, spinach, garlic and chilli with a pinch of salt; cook for 5 mins or until softened. Stir in the orange zest (not the juice); set aside to cool.Step 3
To butterfly and flatten out the pork fillet, put it on a board and make an incision down the length of it, ensuring your knife doesn’t cut all the way through, so you can ‘open’ it like a book. Open the pork out, lay a piece of baking paper over it and gently beat it with a rolling pin until it’s an even thickness. Remove the paper. Make the seasoning by combining the garlic and onion granules, ground coriander, chilli flakes, sea salt and black pepper in a bowl. Scatter over both sides of the pork, reserving 1 tsp for the beans.Step 4
Place another large piece of baking paper flat on your worktop. Arrange the cabbage leaves over it in 2 long and wide overlapping rows, ensuring there aren’t any gaps. Put the pork fillet on top. Arrange the cooled stuffing mixture along the centre of the fillet, then roll it into a tight log, wrapped in the leaves and baking paper. Chill for at least 1 hr or ideally overnight.Step 5
About 30 mins before you’re ready to cook, light the barbecue (see Setting up your barbecue); if you have a temperature gauge, aim for 150°C. If you’re not using a barbecue, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.Step 6
Meanwhile, put the orange juice in a roasting tin along with 200ml water. Remove the baking paper and place the pork on a roasting rack over the tin; loosely cover with foil. Cook directly over the charcoal for 10 mins, then move to the other side of the grill and cook indirectly, with the lid closed. After 20 mins, remove the foil and cook for a further 20 mins or until cooked through (if you have a meat thermometer, check it has reached 71°C.) Alternatively, roast in the oven, uncovered, for 25 mins or until cooked through. Rest for 15 mins.Step 7
To make the orange butter sauce, pour the cooking juices into a pan (add a splash more orange juice, if needed). Add the sugar, vinegar and soy; reduce over a high heat, until syrupy. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and season.Step 8
Toss the beans in oil; grill over the charcoal for 6-8 mins (or use a griddle pan), until charred. Sprinkle with the remaining pork seasoning.Step 9
Slice the pork; serve with the green beans and the sauce. Chill leftovers in a lidded container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven.