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1
Crosshatch pork belly skin with sharp knife, making cuts 1/2-inch apart.
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2
Place pork belly in non-reactive dish.
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3
Combine kecap manis, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice, and pour over pork belly.
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4
Chill for 24 to 48 hours, turning several times.
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5
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
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6
Place belly, skin side up, in baking pan with 2 cups marinating liquid and 2 cups water.
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7
Liquid should come halfway up the pork; if not, add more water or use smaller pan.
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8
Cover pan with foil.
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9
Bake until a skewer penetrates the belly with little or no resistance, 3 to 4 hours.
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10
Remove pork from liquid and let cool.
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11
Leaving skin on, slice belly into 1-inch chunks.
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12
To make salad, cut watermelon flesh into 1-inch cubes (discarding seeds).
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13
Reserve rind.
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14
Refrigerate flesh until ready to use.
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15
With sharp knife, remove outer green skin of rind, reserving white part.
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16
Dice white rind into 1/2-inch cubes.
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17
Transfer to a heatproof bowl.
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18
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rice wine vinegar, shallots, chilies, kaffir lime, ginger, palm sugar, salt and 1 cup water, and bring to boil.
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19
Cook until sugar dissolves.
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20
Strain liquid over white rind.
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21
Let cool, then chill for at least 1 hour or as long as 2 days.
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22
To make dressing, roughly crush palm sugar using a mortar and pestle or place in a plastic bag and crush with a hammer or heavy can.
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23
In a food processor, combine sugar with vinegar, lime juice, ginger, cilantro, garlic and salt, and blend until smooth.
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24
In medium saucepan or wok, heat 3 inches canola or peanut oil to 375 degrees.
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25
Lightly dust pork belly cubes with flour, shaking off excess.
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26
Working in batches, fry pork belly until dark golden brown and crispy, 6 to 7 minutes.
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27
Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
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28
Season with salt, if necessary.
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29
In a mixing bowl, toss the watermelon flesh with just enough dressing to coat.
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30
Divide pork among serving plates, and top with watermelon flesh and a few cubes of pickled rind.
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31
Drizzle additional dressing around plate.
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32
Garnish with scallions, coriander leaves, basil, and sesame seeds, if using.
