Instant Pot Buta no Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly) / 豚の角煮
A classic, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly in a sweet and savory sauce, made easier and faster with the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker)! Japanese comfort food at its best.
Equipment
- Instant Pot (or pressure cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork belly cut into 2" x 2" cubes
- 4 green onions green parts only
- 1 inch ginger peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp oil
- water for cooking the pork belly
- 4 soft or hard boiled eggs
Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Cut pork belly into 2" x 2" cubes (or as close to that as you can get depending on the type of pork belly you have). Cut off the white portion of the green onions and halve the green portions again.
- Press the "Sauté" function on your Instant Pot and set to high (or "More"). Heat the oil and sear the pork belly a little bit to render some of the fat from the pork belly.
- Once some fat has rendered out, pour enough water into the pot to cover the pork belly. Add in sliced ginger and green onions.
- Cover and lock the lid. Press the "Cancel" button to stop the sauté. Press "Manual" to use the pressure cooker function. Set cook time to 40 minutes.
- When it is finished, carefully push the steam release handle to the venting position to let out the steam until the float valve drops (you can also let the pressure release naturally). Once depressurized, remove the lid (be careful of the steam coming out!). Pour contents into a strainer/colander to drain the water. Discard the green onion and ginger. Rinse the pork belly under warm water.
- Put the pork belly back into the Instant Pot and add the sauce ingredients. Press the "Sauté" function and set it to "More." Mix the ingredients well, bring to a simmer for a minute (just enough to burn off the alcohol). Press "Cancel" to stop the sauté. Cover and lock the lid. Press "Manual" and set the cooking time for 25 minutes (do less if your pork pieces are smaller or thinner - like 10-15 minutes).
- When it's finished cooking, carefully push the steam release handle to the venting position to let out the steam until the float valve drops (you can also let the pressure release naturally). Once depressurized, remove the lid carefully.
- Press the "Sauté" and put it on "Less" (or low) to bring to a low simmer. Add in your soft or hardboiled eggs. Simmer until sauce is reduced slightly (couple of minutes).
- Serve! It's great with steamed rice. :)
Notes
If you would like your eggs to be soft inside, under-cook your eggs prior to putting it in with the rest of the ingredients since you will be simmering them for a couple minutes longer.