[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES] 

From OUR COOKBOOK! Have you bought the Food Fix yet? Or have you got it earmarked as a Christmas present? Good! Go, you good thing! This recipe can be found inside our cookbook but we’re sharing it in today’s 5MFF! 

Want more food tips? Check out the 5 Minute Food Fix Instagram. 

Recipe

500-900 g piece of pork belly 

1 brown onion, cut into 4-5 pieces 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced 

Toffee 

¼ cup soy sauce 

1/3 cup mirin  

1 teaspoon sugar 

1 small piece of ginger 

Slice the pork belly into pieces that will look lovely on a bowl of rice. I make mine about 1.2 cm x 7 cms.  

Put the pork, onion, garlic and ginger in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly if necessary and cook for one hour with the lid of the saucepan slightly open. Top up the water if it looks like it’s boiling dry.  

Drain off the cooking liquid, retaining 400 ml and transfer the pork only to a clean saucepan or wash the old one. The onion, garlic and ginger can be composted.  

Add the toffee ingredients and the retained cooking water to the pork, place over low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook with the lid on for another 50 minutes.  

After 50 minutes, remove the ginger (which can develop a bitter flavour if overcooked), then cook with the lid off for another 30 minutes. The sauce will reduce and turn into a glossy liquid toffee. Be careful not to burn it in the last 10 minutes.  

I like to serve this pork with rice, as a side with onigiri, or tucked into a bento box.