Japanese braised pork belly (buta no kakuni)
Chunks of pork belly are browned then braised in soy sauce, mirin, dashi, ginger and sugar until the fat literally melts in the mouth.
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 450 grams pork belly (15.8 oz)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 one-inch knob ginger peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and lightly pounded
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 packet dashi granules (about one tablespoon) dissolved in one cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 hard boiled eggs shelled and cut in into halves
- sliced scallions to garnish
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into slices about half an inch thick. Cut each slice into two-inch squares.
- Heat a wide shallow pan and pour in the cooking oil.
- Add the pork belly pieces and cook over high heat, turning them occasionally, until browned.
- Scoop out the pork and transfer to a plate. Keep warm.
- Heat the mixture of oil and rendered pork fat, and sauté the ginger and garlic until aromatic.
- Pour in the mirin. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Add the soy sauce, dashi and sugar.
- Arrange the pork in a single layer and braise until tender and the sauce has reduced to a couple of tablespoons.
- Serve Japanese braised pork belly with a hard boiled egg on the side and, optionally, sprinkled with scallions.
