6 onions, halved or quartered
1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
5cm piece fresh root ginger, sliced
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp Chinese five-spice
1.5kg lean shoulder of pork, visible fat removed
150ml light soy sauce
For the slaw: 1 large carrot, peeled and finely shredded
1 cucumber, finely shredded
1 red onion, finely sliced
½ small green cabbage, finely shredded
Juice of 2 lemons
For the sauce: 400g passata
150ml oyster sauce
1-2 tsp Chinese five-spice
1 Preheat your oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3. Place the onions, garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon stick in a single layer on the base of a non-stick roasting tin. Rub the five-spice all over the pork, season and place on top of the onions.
2 Pour the soy sauce around the pork, then cover the tin with baking paper and then foil. Roast for 2½ hours. Remove the foil and paper, and roast for a further 45 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, make the slaw. Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season and chill until ready to serve.
4 For the sauce, put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
5 Discard the onions, garlic and spices and ‘pull’ the pork by placing a fork in the shoulder and shredding the meat into small pieces with another fork. Pile the pork onto a platter. Serve with the sauce and slaw.