Buta no Kakuni: Melting Soy-Braised Pork Belly with Jammy Eggs

⏱ 210 min · Serves 4

Pork belly simmered low and slow until it collapses under a spoon, glazed in a glossy soy-sake-mirin braise with ginger and spring onion. Served with jammy ramen eggs, steamed rice and a sharp dab of karashi mustard — pure Japanese comfort, and worth every unhurried minute.

Per serving: 842 kcal · 42.0g protein · 54.0g carbs · 49.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1.2kg boneless pork belly, skin on, in one piece
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 leek (green parts) or 6 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 40g fresh ginger, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 200ml sake
• 150ml soy sauce
• 100ml mirin
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1.2 litres water (approx, for blanching and braising)
• 4 large eggs
• 400g cooked short-grain Japanese rice, to serve
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced, to garnish
• 1 tsp karashi (Japanese hot mustard) or English mustard, to serve
• Steamed baby pak choi or blanched greens, to serve

Method

1. Cut the pork belly into 5–6cm thick chunks. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and sear the pork on all sides until deeply golden, 8–10 minutes. Remove and pour away the fat.
2. Return the pork to the pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 40 minutes to render and tenderise. Drain, rinse the pork and wipe out the pot — this is the secret to a clean-tasting broth.
3. Return the pork to the pot with the leek greens, ginger, garlic, sake, soy, mirin, sugar and 600ml fresh water. Bring to a bare simmer, cover with a lid slightly ajar (or a paper drop-lid) and cook very gently for 1 hour 45 minutes, turning the pieces every 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 6 minutes 30 seconds, plunge into iced water, peel, then steep them in a ladleful of the cooled braising liquid for at least 1 hour.
5. Lift out the pork and strain the braising liquid into a wide pan, discarding the aromatics. Skim off the fat.
6. Boil the liquid hard for 8–12 minutes until reduced to a syrupy glaze that coats a spoon. Stir in the rice vinegar.
7. Return the pork to the glaze and spoon over gently for 2–3 minutes until lacquered and shining.
8. Serve over hot rice with a halved marinated egg, greens, extra glaze, sliced spring onion and a small dot of karashi mustard on the side.