(Buta no Kakuni) Japanese Braised Pork Belly in Thermal Pot

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon oil
500 grams pork belly
4 eggs
2 leeks
1 knob fresh ginger
2 cups dashi stock
4 tablespoon sake
3 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon soya sauce

Method:

1. Pound the pork on both sides with a meat pounder or the back of the knife.

2. Mould back the shape of the pork belly and cut into 2 inch chunks.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and brown all sides of the pork belly with the fat side down first.

4.  When meat is nicely browned, transfer to a paper towel and wipe off excess fat.

5. Slice the ginger into thin flat slices.

6. Cut the leeks into two sections.  The green section into 2 inch pieces.  The white setion can be kept to make shiraga negi for garnish. *Note 1

7. In the thermal pot, place the pork belly, green part of leek, half of the sliced ginger, and enough water to cover the meat. Place on high heat.

8. Let it boil over the stove for 15mins, then place in the outer pot and let it continue cooking for 6-8hours at least (usually I let it cook overnight)

9. Next morning, skim off any fats that floated to the surface of the water.

10. Take out the meat and lightly wipe off excess oil with paper towel.
      Discard the leeks and ginger.

11. Clean the pot, put the dashi, mirin, sakae and sugar into the cleaned pot and bring to boil on a high heat.
2 cups dashi stock, 4 tablespoons sake, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon sugar

12. Add the pork belly and cover lid and bring to boil for 10mins and place in thermal outer pot to boil for another 4hrs or more depending if its for lunch or dinner.  Its ok to boil longer in the thermal pot, in fact its better as the meat will be more tender.

13. Just before meal, make the 4 hard boiled eggs

14.  Add the hard boiled eggs and continue simmering for another 30mins. Remove any fat that rises to the surface while cooking.

15. Add 2 tablespoons of the soya sauce, cover lid and continue simmering for another 20mins.

16. Its ready to serve the pork belly and eggs with Shiraga Negi on top.

*Note 1- How to make shiraga negi
1. Cut the white part of the leek into 2inch long.
2. Make an incision lengthwise.
3. Take out the green core to keep for cooking with the green parts of the leek
4. Open the white part, lay it flat and cut into thin strips
5. To make it curl, soak into cold water for 10-15mins and drain dry.

Sharksfin Melon Soup in Bone Broth

Benefits of sharksfin melon:
1) Its hypoglycemic effect helps treat diabetes. *source: wikipedia
2)  In tcm its known to expel heat  *source: 饮食本草


Ingredients

1) 1.5litres of bone broth
2) half of a sharksfin melon (de-skin, cube and remove the seeds)
3) 6-8 seedless red dates
4) 1 honey date or if your honey date is small size u can add 2pieces.

Method:

1) Sieve through the bone broth from the big thermal pot over.

2) Place the rest of the ingredients into the bone broth and boil over the stove for 10mins in the thermal inner pot.

3) Then place it back in the outer pot to continue boiling for at least 4hrs.

4) Add a bit of salt to taste if desired.  Usually I'll skip the salt for a healthier lifestyle.

*Usually I boil my soups at night after my girl turns in for the night, so I'll heat it up again in the morning to let it continue cooking throughout the day and its still hot enough for dinner.

Cordyceps militaris in chicken soup

Ingredients

1 Chicken
30grams cordyceps militaris
8 pieces of mushrooms (presoaked)
Handful of small scallops (presoaked)
2 tablespoon wolfberries
8 seedless red dates
2 honey dates
2 slices of jin hua ham
1500ml water
salt

Method

1) Remove chicken skin, trim fats.  Wash and cut into chunks.
2) Blanch chicken
3) Bring water to boil.  Put all the ingredients except wolfberries into 1500ml of water.
4) a) For thermal pot, let it boil for 15mins over stove before putting into outer pot.
    b) For slow cooker, let it boil for 10mins on high before simmering for 2hours.
5) For thermal pot cooking, let it boil for 4-6 hours, usually I'll boil the night before and heat it up in the morning again and have it for the 2nd day's dinner.
6) Heat thermal pot soup, or switch on high for slow cooker and add wolfberries and boil for another 5mins.
7) Add salt to taste if desired.