Rafute

Method

1. 1 Boil the whole pork belly for 40 minutes, then drain the water to remove excess fat.
2. 2 Let the meat cool, then slice it into square blocks about three centimeters thick.
3. 3 Simmer the meat with dashi, sake, brown sugar, and sliced ginger over low heat for 60 minutes.
4. 4 Add soy sauce at a later stage, and simmer for another 30 minutes to prevent the meat from becoming tough.
5. 5 Simmer until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, then pour over the meat and sprinkle with chopped scallions.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 2 hr

  Replace step 3: braise the meat with dashi, sake, and sugar under high pressure for 20 minutes, then release the pressure naturally for 12 minutes; add the soy sauce from step 4 after opening the lid and braise for another 20 minutes to prevent the meat from becoming tough.