To make the ‘lean meat’ layer

1. Dehydrate the TVP slices by pouring hot water on them and letting them sit for 20 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse and squeeze out excess water out of the TVP slices. 

To make the coconut ‘fat’ layer

1. On a pan on low heat, combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut milk and water.
2. Keep mixing the mixture until it forms a thick white paste, that is very similar to pork fat. This takes about 5-10 minutes.

To make the pork skin layer

Method 1: Baguette

1. If use a small baguette, split it in half lengthwise. If use a long baguette, cut into a section that can is the same length as your tofu slice.
2. Take out some of the crumb (soft inner part) of the bread.

Method 2: Tofu skin

1. Rehydrate the tofu skin sheet by pouring hot water on top until softened (about finished).

Make the Vegan Pork Belly

1. To make the vegan pork belly, layer the 3 layers together: bread ‘skin’ in the bottom, followed by a thick layer of the coconut ‘fat’, ‘lean meat’ (tofu or TVP slcies), coconut ‘fat’ and ‘lean meat’ tofu. The coconut ‘fat’ in between each layer will help the layers stick together.
2. Wrap the vegan pork belly tightly with aluminium foil and steam for 25-30 minutes.
3. Afterwards, chill the vegan pork belly in the fridge for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
4. Cut into thin slices that resemble ‘pork belly’ slices and fry until golden crispy. Add any sauces you like and enjoy with a bowl of warm rice.
5. Check out this blog post for making vegan Vietnamese braised pork belly.