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