Melting and tender pieces of pork belly, slowly stewed in a rich, umami sauce. Sticky, sweet and luxuriously tasty, Buta Kakuni is an intense hit of Japanese fragrance and flavour.
Heat the oil in a wok or large pan and fry the pork pieces for 1-2 minutes per side to sear and char slightly. Do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
Return all the pork to the pan and pour in all the remaining ingredients for the pork cooking liquid. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to gently simmer.At this stage add a sheet of greaseproof paper (cut into a circle) to act as the otoshibuta (drop-lid). I used a pre-cut baking parchment circle which fit perfectly. You could also just put on a tightly fitting lid to the pan.Gently cook the pork for 1½ hours until tender.
Remove the otoshibuta and then fish out the pork. Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve and set aside. Discard the ginger and spring onion.
Return the pork to the pan and then pour in all the simmer sauce ingredients. Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer gently for around 25 minutes until the sauce is thick and sticky. That's it!
Serve the Kakuni alongside freshly cooked rice garnished with a little sesame seed and thinly sliced spring onions.