Kakuni Pork Belly With Pickled Ginger
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people
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1-2 tablespoons oil for frying
-
1kg/2.2lbs pork belly
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 sticks green onion, sliced in 2 inch pieces
- 4.5 cups/1.125mls/38flozs. dashi or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. mirin
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. cooking sake
- 1/3 cup/85ml/3flozs. soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon pickled ginger
- 1 stick green onion, sliced in 2 inch pieces
Step 1 - Cut the pork belly into cubes around 4x4cms/1.6x1.6inches (they will shrink a little). Heat a frypan on medium high heat and brown the pork belly cubes skin side down first and then brown on all sides adding oil if necessary. Do this in two lots in a single layer and make sure to take the time to brown all the sides.
Step 2a - Pressure cooker: Place the browned pork belly cubes in a pressure cooker and add the ginger, green onions and dashi or stock. Set to high pressure and cook for 50 minutes. Release pressure and then strain the pork belly from the liquid (keep this for a soup base, it's full of flavour).
Step 2b - Slow Cooker: Place the browned pork belly cubes in a slow cooker and add the ginger, green onions and dashi or stock. Set to low heat and cook for 8 hours. Strain the pork belly from the liquid (keep this for a soup base, it's full of flavour).
Step 2c - Stovetop: Place the browned pork belly cubes in large pot and add the ginger, green onions and dashi or stock. Bring to a boil and cook gently for 3 hours until pork is very soft. Strain the pork belly from the liquid (keep this for a soup base, it's full of flavour).
Step 3 - Place the mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar and pickled ginger in a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pork belly cubes and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. At this stage I also start steaming rice so that it's ready to eat with the pork. Garnish with the green onion batons.