Crispy pork belly with brown sauce

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This crispy pork belly recipe is served with a heavy homemade brown sauce and lightly salted cabbage for a stunning canapé or starter. The pork is slowly braised in dashi infused with ginger, chilli, soy and sake until meltingly tender, then set, crumbed and deep-fried in perfect bite-sized portions.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pork belly

Braising liquid for the pork belly

Brown sauce

White cabbage

To coat and fry the pork belly

  • 50g of plain flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 100g of Panko breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Equipment

  • Sous vide equipment (optional)
  • Blender

Method

1
To begin, season the pork belly all over and leave in the fridge for 2 hours. Meanwhile, pour all the ingredients for the braising liquid into a pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 2 hours
2
Is using a water bath to cook the pork, preheat it to 75°C. If using a conventional oven, preheat it to 85°C
3
Pass the braising liquid through a sieve to remove the aromatics. Remove the pork belly from the fridge, pat dry and place in a large vacuum bag with some of the braising liquid. Seal using a chamber sealer and cook in the water bath for 8 hours. After this time, remove the bag from the water bath, allow to cool on a tray then place in the fridge to chill completely
4
If cooking in the oven, place the pork belly in a casserole dish, pour the braising liquid over the pork and place a lid on top. Cook in the oven for 8 hours, then take out of the oven and allow to cool in the cooking liquid. Once cold, transfer the pork and cooking liquid into a clean dish and place in the fridge to chill
5
To make the brown sauce, add the onions, vinegar, treacle, orange juice and all the spices to a pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and gently simmer for 1 hour, or until the apples are soft. Remove from the heat, allow to cool then blitz until smooth. Pass through a sieve then check the seasoning and acidity
6
Lightly salt the white cabbage and leave in a colander for 1 hour
7
Once the pork is cold, remove from the liquid, pat dry and cut into 3cm cubes. To coat them, dust evenly with the flour, then the egg, and finally the Panko breadcrumbs
  • 100g of Panko breadcrumbs
  • 50g of plain flour
  • 3 eggs
8
Preheat a deep-fryer or deep pan of oil to 170°C
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
9
To serve, deep-fry the pork for 5 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Slice each cube of pork in half and serve on a plate with a spoon of brown sauce and some white cabbage
First published in 2018

After learning his craft in the UK’s best restaurants throughout the 1990s, Jun Tanaka utilises his rigorous classical training to create impeccable small plates of French and Mediterranean food at his relaxed neighbourhood restaurant in Fitzrovia.

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