Help

Simmered slowly until meltingly tender Braised Pork Belly

4.6

(594 reviews)

Time

180mins–

When you parboil the pork slowly without using a pressure cooker, the excess fat renders out and the meat turns wonderfully tender. If you have the time, be sure to try this authentic method.

  • Calories

    972kcal

  • Carbs

    17.7g

  • Fat

    76.3g

  • Protein

    38.3g

  • Net Carbs

    17.5g

  • Sodium

    1768.5mg

* per serving

* Nutritional values are based on the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan and may differ from U.S. food composition data.

* Sodium is estimated from the recipe's salt content (1 g salt ≈ 393 mg sodium).

Ingredients [ 4 servings ]

  • pork belly block800 g
  • boiled egg4
  • ginger, unpeeled4 slices
  • Japanese long green onion (naganegi), green part1 stalk
  • Japanese long green onion (naganegi), white part10 cm
  • vegetable oil½ tablespoon

☆ Braising liquid

  • cooking liquid400 ml
  • sake100 ml
  • sugar50 g
  • soy sauce100 ml
  • ginger, unpeeled4 slices
Cooking notes

Please Note

Ingredients may vary by product and region. If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, please review all ingredient labels carefully before cooking. Consult your doctor or a registered dietitian if you have any health concerns.

Instructions

1

Cut the pork into pieces that will fit in the pot.

2

Cut the white part of the long green onion in half crosswise, make a lengthwise slit, remove the core, spread it open, and shred it finely. Soak it in water, then drain just before serving to make shiraga negi.

3

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, add the pork, and cook over medium heat until browned on all sides.

4

Put the pork, the green part of the long green onion, the ginger (4 slices), and enough water to cover in a pot. Heat over high heat, and when it starts to simmer, reduce to low heat and parboil for about 1 hour.

Note:

Add more water if the level gets low during cooking. Parboiling the pork removes excess fat, helps the flavor soak in, and makes the meat tender.

5

Separate the pork from the cooking liquid, then cut the pork into bite-size pieces.

Note:

Reserve the cooking liquid.

6

Put the pork and the sauce ingredients marked with ☆ into a pot and heat over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover with a drop lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.

7

Turn off the heat, add the boiled eggs, and let them sit for about 20 minutes.

8

Serve in a bowl and top with the shiraga negi.

Reviews

4.6

(594 reviews)

*Automatically translated from reviews posted in Japan.

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    It was tender and delicious. I was also able to make seasoned rice with the leftover broth♪

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    This is so delicious that I’ve made it again and again! It’s totally fine to cut the pork into the final bite-size pieces right from the start. I didn’t notice much difference in how much the meat shrank! (It also saves you the trouble of cutting piping-hot pork later.) Also, unless you’re particular about it, peeled garlic isn’t necessary—garlic paste from a tube works perfectly well too 👍🏼 If you add a bit more mirin to the seasonings, it turns out nice and glossy, and the flavor gets richer and even more delicious (๑⃙⃘ˊ꒳​ˋ๑⃙⃘)

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    It was very delicious and a big hit! I’ll definitely make it again ☆ I liked that I could make it without a pressure cooker. It took time, but it wasn’t difficult. Making it exactly as written gave just the right amount.

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    I pricked the pork with a fork before cooking. I didn’t have any green onion or fresh ginger, so I used ginger paste instead and added sake while cooking the pork. When simmering, I used equal amounts of sake and mirin, and reduced the sugar a bit compared with the recipe. I was worried about leaving out the green onion, but it still turned out delicious. I brought the leftover simmering liquid to a boil, then added beef and tofu to make nikudofu.

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    I tried adding daikon, but it absorbed too much flavor and ended up too strong (sweat). But the meat and eggs turned out delicious!

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    This was my first time making it. The meat turned out very tender, and the flavor soaked in perfectly, so it was delicious. I made a lot, so I looked up how to store it well, and that was a good learning experience too.

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    It took some time, but since it mostly just simmered on the heat, it wasn’t all that much work, and it turned out delicious ✨ Adding the carrots at the seasoning stage was definitely the right call! Based on other comments, I used equal parts sake and mirin, and about 30 g of sugar was just right. I’m thinking of using the broth for soba or something similar 😌

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    It took some time, but the braised pork belly turned out tender and melt-in-your-mouth 🙌 Thank you so much ❤️

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    It turned out delicious! I want to use the simmering liquid to make soy-marinated eggs ^ ^

  • 🇯🇵 User from Japan

    I simmered sliced pork (maybe pork tendon?) with daikon radish and carrot in a pressure cooker, using a modest 35 g of sugar. It was quick and very delicious.