How to Make Kakuni (Japanese Braised Pork) That Literally Melts in Your Mouth

By Sudachi · 180 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water, enough to cover the pork, to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Sear the 600 g skinless pork belly slab in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat on all sides.
3. Move the seared pork to a cutting board and let it cool for a few minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut it into chunks slightly larger than bite-size.
4. Simmer the pork chunks in the pot of water for 10 minutes.
5. Drain the pork and rinse it with cold water. Clean the pot, refill it with enough water to cover the pork, and bring it to a boil.
6. Add 30 g sliced ginger and the naganegi leek broken into pieces that fit in the pot, along with the pork, once the water is boiling. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour, keeping the pork covered with water and topping up as needed.
7. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and set aside 500 ml of the broth from the pot.
8. Pour the reserved broth into a clean pot. Add 100 ml lager (or water or sake), 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp light brown sugar (or white sugar), and 100 ml Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu). Stir and bring to a boil, then add the pork.
9. Cover the pork with a drop lid and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
10. Turn off the heat and let cool. When cool, add 4 peeled soft-boiled eggs if using, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate.
11. Optional garnish: cut the white part of a naganegi into thin strips and soak in lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Drain before serving.
12. Reheat the pot over medium heat until warmed through, removing the eggs early so they do not overcook.
13. Serve with karashi Japanese mustard (or hot English mustard).

Summarized from Sudachi's video. Watch it for the details.

More recipes with

EggGingerBrown sugarLeekPork bellyPork