Buta no kakuni

Method

1. 1 Pan-fry the pork belly until golden brown on all four sides for 6 minutes.
2. 2 Boil the meat briefly with ginger and the green part of the scallions for 60 minutes to reduce the fat.
3. 3 Remove the meat from the pot, cut it into 4 cm cubes, and rinse it with warm water.
4. 4 Simmer the meat with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar over low heat for 50 minutes.
5. 5 Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs and chopped radishes to the stew and simmer for another 15 minutes to allow them to absorb the color.
6. 6 Let it cool, then reheat; the meat will be tender and the sauce will have a beautiful glossy finish.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 2 hr 20 min

  Replace step 2: boil the meat under high pressure for 20 minutes to remove the fat, then release the pressure naturally; step 4 is still simmered with the lid open to allow the sauce to thicken and coat the meat with a glossy finish.