Japanese chashu is a popular ramen topping made by rolling up pork belly and braising it until it’s tender and melts in your mouth. It’s one of my favorite ramen toppings too! When eating out, they typically serve just two slices, but if we make it at home, we can enjoy as much as we want!
Japanese Rolled Chashu Recipe
For the pork belly:
4 pounds pork belly
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the sauce:
3 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup sugar
1 stalk leek
6 slices ginger
6 garlic cloves
Japanese Rolled Chashu Instructions
- Roll up the pork belly tightly into a cylindrical shape with the skin side out.
- Tie cooking twine in the center of a pork belly a couple of times and tie a double knot. Then wrap around it all the way to one end. Wrap around it all the way to another end. Wrap back to the center and tie a double knot. Make sure everything is nice and tight.
- In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, transfer in the pork belly, and sear every side of the pork belly over moderate heat until brown for about 2 minutes. Turn and repeat every side. The total searing time is about 12 minutes. Put aside.
- To prepare an aluminum foil drop lid, cut a sheet of aluminum foil that covers the size of your pot. Fold the edges up into a circle. Use a chopstick to poke 5 holes in the center. This will prevent evaporation and allow the heat to distribute evenly.
- In a pot, bring water, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and bring to a boil. Then add leek, ginger, and garlic. Transfer the pork belly. Bring to a boil. Skim off all the forms. Cover with the aluminum foil drop lid. Cover the lid. Cook on low heat for 2 hours. Turn it every 20 minutes.
- After 2 hours. Turn off the heat. Wait until completely cooled down. You could also let the pork belly stay in the pot overnight for deeper flavors.
- Cut the twine, and slice the pork belly into 1/3 inch pieces. You can serve it on top of ramen on top of rice, or simply just enjoy it this way!
