Japanese Pork Belly Kakuni & Eggs with Spicy Pickled Courgette Salad

Meat lovers' delight. Meltingly tender sweet & savoury Japanese braised pork belly. Kakuni literally means "square simmered". Serve with spicy pickled courgette salad and steamed rice.

Recipe Video

Ingredients
  • 1/2 block of Apple Tree Farms pork belly about 800g
  • 2-3 green spring onions
  • 3 cm cube ginger sliced skin on
  • 1/2 cup sake
  • Water
  • 100 ml soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 4 Woodland Free Range Eggs
  • For the Spicy Pickled Courgette salad
  • 3 medium courgettes ribboned
  • 4 tbsp DYC spiced vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp Superb Herb garlic chives chopped
  • 1 tbsp Olivado Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Cooked Rice to serve
  1. 1
    Take pork belly out of the fridge and come to room temperature.
  2. 2
    In a large pot, place pork, spring onions and ginger. Pour sake and water just enough to cover the pork. Put a lid on and place on a medium heat. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 1 hour until you can insert a skewer into pork easily.
  3. 3
    When completely cool - put the whole pot in the fridge and chill for several hours or overnight. This makes the pork fat to set so it is easily removed.
  4. 4
    Remove fat from the surface. Discard spring onions and ginger. Add sugar and soy sauce to the pot. Cut the meat into 4-5 cm cubes, then return to the pot. Place the pot back on medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add eggs when you have 6 minutes left, so they soft boil.
  5. 5
    To make the spicy pickled courgette: Slice courgettes in long thin ribbons and place in a heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, mix vinegar, honey, water and mustard and bring to boil. Pour over the courgettes and combine well. Add garlic chives and a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  6. 6
    Peel boiled eggs and slice in halves. Serve Japanese Pork and Eggs accompanied by cool & spicy pickled courgettes salad and cooked rice.

DYC Ingredient