Beginner
Korean
Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)
Source: Traditional
30 min3420 kcal
Dairy-free🌶️🌶️
Buta no Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly)
Cubes of pork belly simmered for hours in soy, sake and ginger until the fat turns to silk and a chopstick slides clean through.
Source
Recipe by Japanese home kitchens · 🏠 Home cook
Nagasaki / Kyushu — Japanese-Chinese / 長崎・九州の卓袱料理 — Kakuni comes from Kyushu, especially Nagasaki, where centuries of trade with China left a lasting mark on the local table. It is widely regarded as a Japanese adaptation of the Chinese Dongpo pork, folded into Nagasaki's shippoku banquet cuisine.
Watch it being made · 3 videos
⏱ 180 min🍽 4 servings🔥 520 kcal🇯🇵 Japan
Dairy-free
Steps
Sear the pork cubes in a dry pot on all sides to render surface fat and deepen the flavour.
Cover with water, add the ginger and onion greens, and boil gently for an hour to render fat and tenderise.
💡 This first plain boil melts away excess grease so the finished dish is rich but not heavy.
Discard the boiling water and aromatics and rinse the pork to wash off the scum.
Return the pork to a clean pot with the sake, soy, sugar and mirin plus water to just cover.
Set a drop-lid on top and simmer very gently for 60–90 minutes until fork-tender and glossy.
Add peeled soft-boiled eggs in the last 20 minutes to steep, then serve with greens and a dot of karashi.
💡 Tips
- Chill the braise overnight and lift off the set fat for a cleaner, lighter sauce.
- Keep the simmer at a whisper — a hard boil makes the meat tighten instead of melting.
- Leftover braising liquid is superb ladled over rice or ramen.
You might also like
Share this recipe
Made this? Share a photo in Showcase.
Share your creation →