Mizuyo’s Japanese pork bellies

This one comes from my mother-in-law, Mizuyo. Thanks for this Miz.

She recently cooked this for my Mum and Nan in UK and it got the thumbs up from those two judges.

So in my usual style I am going to steal it, tweak it and make it mine, ha ha!

This is rather sweet, as you put no herbs or spices with it, but it is simple, very delicious, and similar to the Chinese pork belly dish I did earlier.

For 4 people you’ll need;

• 4 pork bellies sliced in to 2 inch pieces;
• 1 inch of sliced ginger;
• 4 spring onions sliced;
• 2 chopped garlic cloves;
• 1 tablespoon sugar;
• 1-2 cups of sake;
• 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce;
• 1 whole dried chili – or fresh one if you can’t find dried; and
• 1-2 tablespoons of Mirin (or some honey if you can’t find Mirin).

Place sake in a pan and bring to boil to lose the alcohol smell, then add the soy sauce and bring to boil again.

Add in the ginger, garlic, spring onions. chili and Mirin and bring to the boil again.

Add in the chopped pork pieces and spread them evenly to allow them to be covered with the liquid. Place some silver foil on top of the pork pieces, almost to act like a lid. Then reduce the heat and leave them on a low simmer for 1-2 hours until the pork is cooked through, and the liquid has reduced.

Because you are slow cooking the meat, the fat from the pork bellies will dissolve, leaving a sweet, sticky sauce covering very tender meat. Tender enough to be eaten like pork butter. Oh yeah!

Serve it with some steamed rice and that is that!

Nice!