Kakuni, Soy-Simmered Pork Belly with Soft Eggs

What you need

• 800 g (1 3/4 lb) pork belly, in one slab, skin removed
• 1.2 l (5 cups) water from rinsing rice, or plain water
• 4 cm (1 1/2 in) fresh ginger, sliced
• 3 scallions
• 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) dashi
• 100 ml (scant 1/2 cup) sake
• 50 ml (3 tbsp) mirin
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce, Japanese, light or regular
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 eggs

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Cut the pork belly into cubes of about 5 cm (2 in).

2. 2

   Heat a dry heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork, fat side down, and brown all sides, turning now and then, 8-10 min. Pour off the rendered fat.

3. 3

   Add the rice water, half the ginger and the green tops of 2 scallions. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.

4. 4

   Cover with a drop lid or a round of baking paper. Simmer on low heat until a skewer slides through the pork with no resistance, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, lower the eggs into boiling water and cook 9 min. Cool in ice water, then peel.

6. 6

   Drain the pork and rinse each piece under warm water to remove scum and loose fat. Discard the ginger and scallion tops. Wash the pot.

7. 7

   Return the pork to the pot with the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and the rest of the ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer.

8. 8

   Cover with the drop lid and simmer on low heat for 45 min. The pork should now yield to a spoon.

9. 9

   Add the eggs and simmer uncovered, rolling them once, until the sauce turns syrupy and coats the pork, about 15 min.

10. 10

    Thinly slice the remaining scallion. Halve the eggs, then serve them with the pork, spoon the sauce over and top with the scallion.

Imported from asianinspirations.com.au. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.