My family loves my Pork ‘Kakuni’. I cook it using a pressure cooker. This recipe is almost identical to the ‘Kakuni’ recipe, but I added extra ingredients for extra flavour, and I made it into a rice bowl dish as we always eat it with Rice. This recipe’s method is the most common ‘saucepan method’, so anyone can cook it without a pressure cooker. It is not hard. You only need to cook it longer until Pork is soft.


Makes

2 Servings

Ingredients

400g Pork Belly with Rind
Water
1 teaspoon Potato Starch OR Corn Starch *mixed with 1 teaspoon Water, optional
2 servings warm Cooked Rice
2 Boiled Eggs
Green Vegetables *optional
Spring Onion *finely chopped

Sauce
1 cup Water that was used to boil Pork Belly
3 to 4 thin slices Ginger *cut into fine strips
1 clove Garlic *squashed
1 Star Anise *optional
1 dried Chilli *OR Chilli Flakes, optional
1/4 cup Sake (Rice Wine)
1 to 2 tablespoons Sugar *add extra if you like sweeter flavour
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

Method
  1. Place Pork Belly in a large saucepan. If too large, cut into the size that fits in the saucepan. Cover with Water and bring to the boil, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove any scum and fat on the surface.
  2. Leave the Pork Belly in the Water until slightly cooled. If you go to next process straight away, work carefully because it is hot.
  3. Take out the cooked Pork Belly and cut into chunky bite-size pieces. Save 1 cup Water and discard the rest of Water, OR you may wish to use it for something else.
  4. Place all the Sauce ingredients and Pork pieces in the saucepan, cover with the lid, and and bring to the boil. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour or until Pork is soft.
  5. Remove the lid and cook until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce, and you may wish to add extra Sugar. *Note: Add Potato Starch mixture to thicken the sauce, but it is optional. You don’t need to add all of it.
  6. Half fill a bowl with warm Cooked Rice and cover it with Pork and Boiled Egg. Add some Green Vegetables if you like it. Today I added some blanched Spinach. Sprinkle with finely chopped Spring Onion and enjoy.