Miso and ginger braised pork belly

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Shu Han Lee braises unctuous pork belly in a heady combination of barley miso, ginger, soy and mirin – a great Japanese recipe to have in your arsenal as the nights draw in.

First published in 2015

This hearty stew is perfect for sharing on a miserable rainy night. After two hours of slow braising, the pork belly is so tender it pretty much falls apart in your mouth. By then, the pork has also absorbed all the rich saltiness from the miso, the sweetness from the mirin, and the gentle heat from the ginger. This dish only gets better the day after, so I definitely advise making extra and planning for leftovers (or greedy eaters).

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Miso and ginger braised pork belly

To serve

Method

1
Cut the pork belly into large chunks – there is no need to pull out the ruler, but aim for about 2.5cm wide pieces. Blanch the pork belly pieces in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then drain and rinse well. This gets rid of any blood and impurities and makes sure there’s no scum floating in your stew later
2
Rinse the ginger and slice into fairly large pieces, skin included. Reserve a thumb-sized portion – peel, julienne and set this aside for garnish. Trim the spring onions and separate the lighter bottom parts from the dark green tops. Finely chop the green parts and set aside with the julienned ginger for garnishing later
3
In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat up the groundnut oil. Over medium heat, fry the ginger pieces until golden and fragrant. Push aside and add the pork belly, frying until just lightly browned
4
While the pork is frying, combine the barley miso, light soy sauce, mirin and water in a separate bowl, stirring to make sure everything is well mixed
5
Pour the miso mixture into the pot and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer gently for 2.5 hours, until the pork is very tender
6
Dish out into a large serving bowl and finish with the chopped spring onions and julienned ginger. Eat with plain rice or noodles, making sure to scoop the sauce over generously
First published in 2015

Shu grew up in Singapore and continues her nation's obsession with food in London, where she writes about food that's seasonal, British, yet Singaporean at the same time.

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