This winter warming dish, Buta-Kakuni (Slow Cooked Pork Belly) is a mouth-watering treat for a cosy night in. The recipe is by Reiko Hashimoto, author of several Japanese cookbooks and expert chef.
Ingredients:
- 1.2 kg boneless pork belly, cut into 3 inch x 2 inch
- 120g-150g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thick slices
- 2 leek or 2 bunch of white part of spring onion, cut into chunks
- 2 litre dashi stock Or 2 tsp dashi powder & 2 litre water
- ½ cup sake
- ¼ cup mirin
- 50-60g soft dark brown sugar
- 120 ml soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Japanese mustard or dijion mustard
- 1½ tbsp corn flour
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the pork and sear them for 5-7 minutes, or until browned all over except for the hard skin side. While searing the pork, boil plenty of water in a large sauce pan.
- Take the pork out from the pan then quickly transfer the pork into the other pan with boiling water making sure all the pork is covered with water.
- Add a half of ginger slices and a half of leek. Then bring to the boil over high heat. Once it reaches boiling point, reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ - 2 hours by skimming from time to time with the lid on and top up with water if needed. Pork should be covered with water at all times.
- Strain and discarding ginger and leek. Quickly rinse the pork with hot water and wash the pan. Keep the pork aside.
- Add the dashi stock, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce in a clean heavy based saucepan and stir over high heat until all the ingredients are mixed completely. Then add the pork, remaining half of ginger and leek into the pan and return to the boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook, turning occasionally with cartouche for 1½ to 2 hours or until pork is very tender (pork should be able to cut easily with chopsticks). In case if the stock has reduced too much, keep adding more water to cover the pork.
- Remove the pork and cover to keep warm. Put the pan back to the high heat, bring the liquid to the boil and add the corn flour and water mixture then stir well.
- Place the pork in individual bowls and pour over the sauce. Serve with a little grated or thinly sliced ginger and Japanese mustard on the top.
*Crunchy green vegetables are ideal to serve with.