Chashu Bento Box
Japanese braised pork belly (chashu) simmered in a soy-sake-mirin-honey sauce, served over warm rice in a bento box with a boiled egg and green onion. Serves 4.
Ingredients
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Vegetable oil |
| 2 lb | 905 g | Pork belly |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | Water |
| 3/4 cup | 180 ml | Soy sauce |
| 3/4 cup | 180 ml | Sake |
| 3/4 cup | 180 ml | Mirin |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | Honey |
| 1 bulb | Garlic, cut into halves | |
| 2 oz | 57 g | Ginger, sliced |
| 1 large | Leek, cut into 3-inch pieces | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | Warm cooked rice (per box) |
| 1 pc | Boiled egg, halved | |
| 1 stalk | Green onion, cut into thin strips |
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or thick-bottomed pot over high heat; add oil and the pork belly skin side down. Sear both sides until crispy golden brown, a couple minutes each side. Pork shoulder also works, but pork belly is best for its even layers of fat and meat.
- Meanwhile, combine water, soy sauce, sake, mirin and honey in a measuring cup. Stir until the honey dissolves.
- Tap out all excess oil and fat from the pot with paper towel (use tongs, not your hands). Keep the fat side up.
- Add garlic, ginger and leek to the pot and pour in the sauce mixture. Stir so the pork belly braises evenly.
- Cover with the lid slightly tilted to leave a crack for steam to escape. Bring to a boil over high heat and hard boil 20 minutes, then reduce to medium and simmer 30 minutes, moving the pork around for even color.
- Meanwhile cook the rice, boil the egg and cut the green onion (slice thin and long and soak in ice water so it curls, or simply chop).
- Remove the pork from the pot and let cool slightly before slicing.
- Place warm rice in a bento box and pour 3 to 4 tbsp of the sauce over the rice.
- Slice the chashu into bite-size pieces, place on the rice and drizzle with more sauce. Add the boiled egg in the corner and top with green onion (tap out excess water first). Enjoy!