Since we’re now officially deep into winter, I’d like to re-share a recipe for Japanese pork belly, or buta no kakuni. Really, there are few things that are better on a cold day than a bubbling pot of braised pork belly and its aroma of of ginger, scallions, star anise, and sweetened soy sauce altogether. And because we’re still in the midst of the holiday season, you have an excuse to indulge. Here is a revised version of the recipe, first published in April 2010.
At a dinner party earlier this week, a nutritionist from China told me point-blank the main problem with American diets is the overwhelming meat consumption. Meat was a bigger culprit than carbs or complex sugars, he said. Americans think nothing of eating a 22 oz. steak or a bucket of fried chicken in a single meal, with potato as a “vegetable” side. There’s not moderation in this country, and that’s why obesity is such a huge problem. I nodded and agreed, mentioning, among other things, the now notorious Double Down.
The next night, without thinking, I made a pound of pork belly for dinner.
To be fair, it was one of those cold and windy April days, and braised pork just seemed like a good idea. Frequent readers of this blog may remember that I have numerous other pork recipes. I mean, it’s kind of a sin for someone of Asian descent to not be obsessed with fatty pork.
I decided to try a Japanese version of braised pork belly (buta no kakuni) and see how it tastes compared to the Chinese counterpart, red-cooked pork. The two cooking methods seem pretty similar side-by-side. There are some minor differences: fewer spices used, and lack of par-boiling the meat prior to browning it. Also, I was curious how pork braised in soy sauce, sake, and star anise would taste with mustard.
So, save this for a day when you have just run 10 miles, did an intense Bikram session, or maybe just had salad for lunch. I think the hard boiled egg is a nice addition for a side, although the Japanese also eat it with daikon. Either white rice or ramen is great for soaking up the sauce.
And I should just avoid talking to nutritionists at dinner parties from now on, to avoid becoming a hypocrite.
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Japanese Braised Pork Belly (Buta no kakuni)
Serves 4
- 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 pound pork belly, cubed
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions, white and greens separated
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1 to 2 pieces star anise
- 4 eggs
- Mustard on the side (optional)
- In a Dutch oven or pot, add the oil and sauté the pork belly on all sides until it starts to turn golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the ginger and scallions and sauté very briefly, about 20 seconds.
- Add the sugar over the pork and stir. The sugar should sink down to the bottom of the pot and begin to caramelize. Toss the pork so that it gets coated by the caramelizing sugar, being careful to not let the sugar burn.
- Add enough water to the pot to fully cover the pork. Add the soy sauce, sake, and star anise. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and allow your pork to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Go read, do laundry, catch up on Facebook. Your house will start to smell nice.
- When the pork is close to done, hard boil your eggs. Once your eggs are cooked, rinse them under cool water, and remove the shells. Slice the eggs in half. Add your eggs to the pot for about 5 to 10 minutes so the outside absorbs some of the braising liquid.
- When you think the pork is melty enough for your liking, remove the pork, eggs, and sauce from heat and transfer to a serving dish. (The pork and eggs in Japan are sometimes dabbed with mustard; add a small dish of it to the side if you’d like). Serve with rice or ramen.
Looks delicious, however I disagree with your doctor HIGHLY it’s the excess of sugar and carbs in the American diet not the meat that makes them fat. (lots of white bread, carb laden crispy snacks and food, carb laden cereal, sugary juices and sodas, sugar in the tea, just carbs upon carbs upon carbs, sugar in the ketchup, sugar in everything specifically high fructose corn syrup… it’s rediculous, if they just ate meat they wouldn’t be so fat, or at least if they practiced “moderation”)
I love making this dish, especially with the egg. Nice picture, by the way. Now I’m hungry and I can’t eat lunch yet!
I agree with Nathan. In my opinion, and in my own life, it’s my inability to moderate what I eat that is the problem.
This looks great! It sounds so good right now, and yes, I rode thirty miles on my road bike today so a little pork fat won’t hurt me. :-)
The nutritionist you spoke with is exactly right. I’m unfortunately living testimony to this fact. Less meat AND less consumption are definitely necessary for Americans.
This looks so comforting and delicious. I will definitely feel guilty eating it but I will be making it soon, lol. Thank you for tempting me with the pic and also the recipe!
Good lord. Good thing I just had a grilled pork banh mi for lunch, otherwise I would be drooling.
For a bit of variation you can add baby potatoes and cubed carrots in the final cooking phase of the meal and cook until tender. Although this really changes the meal into “jyaganiku”, it will make you feel a little less guilty about the high fat content on the pork belly…
This dish is DELICIOUS! I’ve actually made this dish 2 times and the flavors are amazing, but the skin doesn’t seem to get the deep red color that shows in the photos. I remember my mom’s would get that color too. I tried cooking even longer and still a bland kind of beige color as if the soy hasn’t soaked in. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Hmm. I think the deep red color just might come for the searing, following by being braised in soy sauce for a lengthy amount of time. You can try cooking it for 15 minutes longer or adding 1 or 2 more tablespoons oof soy sauce (if you don’t mind the sodium) and see if it turns more red. The important thing is that your pork belly tastes great either way! Hope that helps!
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Yeah,it looks like Chinese red-cooked pork, and looks great. And there’s another Chinese braised pork called “dong po rou”,similar look,different taste and yammmyyyyyy!!:D
I was searching for an easy pork belly recipe with ingredients I already have on hand (with the exception of star anise) and yours was perfect! The scent of the star anise smelled so good that the whole time it was braising I couldn’t wait to finally eat it. The pork came out so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Um, I know you were exaggerating to make a point, but no one I know has ever downed “a 22 oz. steak or a bucket of fried chicken in a single meal”, and I agree with Nathan that is is the consumption of refine, pre-packaged foods laden with corn syrup et al that is causing the biggest problem here. French fries are bad enough, but when Mickey D’s dips the potatoes in a salted corn sugar syrup before freezing them for shipment, it is a sure recipe for disaster, not to mention food addictions and diabetes. That said – within reason – your recipe for Japanese-style pork belly is quite delicious, and, when eaten in moderation with plenty of greens, is highly nutritious. My own preference is to leave out the white sugar and substitute either 3T Mirin or 1T of dark cane sugar. My husband’s Japanese grandmother would never have made this with white sugar. #1, it wasn’t even available.
Waaay off topic. I live maybe 40 miles from the nearest town. That town is considered hot stuff because it has a Wal-Mart. It takes me about 3 hours to drive to the nearest city with an Asian grocery store.
What would be a good set of basic pantry items to have on hand so I can cook Sichuan with local items? I can usually get tofu. Some times snow peas. Never bean sprouts (I sprout my own). The only soy sauce I can get locally is La Choy, which I find nasty.
Kaede – For a very basic Chinese pantry you’ll need soy sauce, sesame oil, dry sherry or Chinese rice wine, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and chili sauce. Fortunately there are a few good websites that stock these products. And fortunately, the price of shipping is probably less than what you would pay in gas to drive to the nearest town and back!
Try:
store.ethnicfoodsco.com
asianwok.com
amazon.com
Is it supposed to simmer with the lid on or off?
Carol – This should simmer with the lid on. I’ll clarify this in the directions. Thanks!
I made this last night and it was ridiculously awesome. Instead of cooking it on the stove, I braised it at 275F for 4 hours and finished it by basting it on the stove while the eggs were simmering.
I’ll be trying your red pork belly recipe for Chinese New Year!
Erica – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The pork belly must have been so insanely tender. Let me know how the red-cooked pork goes!
I made this last night but was in a time rush so instead of simmering it normally for up to 2 hours, I put it into a pressure cooker for 45 minutes. The fat rendered down and the meat melted into a delicious bite of savory goodness.
Two things though, the eggs in your picture don’t seem to have been added to the simmering soy sauce mixture since they’re awfully white? Mine definitely took on a color of brown. The other is that I felt that the recipe needed an extra tablespoon or two of soy sauce because I didn’t feel enough soy flavor had permeated into the meat.
But overall, the simple ingredients and simple process will make this a repeat in my dinners to come.
I suggest using soft-boiled eggs, so that the yolks in the final product are just gooey , not overdone. Then, peel the eggs (soft- or hard-boiled) and add them whole to the braising liquid, to be sliced just before serving. That way, you will have a colorful exterior, bright white & yellow interior, and no broken yolk “contaminating” the dish.