minimidimations

 Today felt like a “make something that takes time” kind of day. So I made braised pork belly.

It’s one of those recipes that makes your whole kitchen smell warm and complicated. Like soy sauce, ginger, and something slightly sweet simmering together for hours.

Ingredients i use:
2¼ pounds pork belly
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup sake
1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 ½ cups chicken broth
One 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
3 garlic cloves
2 lemongrass stalks
3 bay leaves
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
2 dried chiles de arbol (or cayenne)
1 tablespoon peppercorns

It looks like a lot. It is a lot. But that’s kind of the point.

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the pork belly in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

You’ll see foam rise to the top. Skim it off.
Remove the pork belly and carefully cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Step 2:

In a large ovenproof pot, combine:
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
1/3 cup water

Whisk over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves.
Add the pork belly and stir to coat. It’ll look glossy and promising.

Then add everything else. sake, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, broth, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, bay leaves, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick, chiles, peppercorns.

Bring it to a low boil. At this point your kitchen will smell unreal.

Step 3:

Cover with an ovenproof lid and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 1 hour at 325°F.

Then increase the oven to 375°F, remove the lid, and bake for another hour. Stir every 15 minutes so nothing sticks and everything gets coated in that deep, dark sauce.

This is the patient part. This is the “trust the process” part.

Step 4:

Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest.

Scoop out about a cup of the sauce into a small saucepan and boil it over high heat until it reduces and thickens.

Then toss the pork pieces in that reduced sauce.

This is where it goes from “good” to “wow.”

Serving Thoughts:

Serve over rice. Or noodles. Or honestly just stand in the kitchen and taste it straight from the spoon (carefully).

It’s rich. It’s sweet and salty and spiced. The pork gets soft enough that it almost melts.

It’s not a quick recipe.
But sometimes slow food feels like self-care.

- Cassie

Today ended up being one of those days where everything felt simple, but still worth remembering.

I started the morning with breakfast at Denny's. Nothing fancy, just one of those places that feels reliable no matter what time you walk in. There's something kind of comforting about sitting in a booth and knowing exactly what you're getting.



After that, I headed over to KHS Ice Arena in Anaheim. It's tucked away in a light industrial area, not too far from State College or Katella. If you didn't know it was there, you'd probably drive right past it.



I parked on the side of the building without realizing the main entrance was on the complete opposite side, so I definitely walked around more than I needed to. Still, it gave me a chance to take in the place before going inside.



Once inside, I went ice skating. I'm not amazing at it, but there's something really nice about gliding around the rink, even if it's a little awkward at times. It was one of those moments where you stop thinking too much and just focus on staying upright.



Later that evening, I ended the day with dinner at TGI Fridays. After skating, sitting down somewhere warm with food felt earned. It was a good way to slow things back down before heading home.



Nothing huge happened today, but between breakfast, skating, and dinner, it felt like a full day.

- Cassie