Buta no Kakuni, Japanese Braised Pork Belly

You know how you know that you are getting older?  When the only time you “drop it like it’s hot” is when you are doing jump squats when working out.  And the only “grinding” that you are doing is coffee beans in the morning.  Ok maybe those are extreme examples, but recently a couple of my friends and I started our Sunday Cooking club as a way for us to hang out (goodbye clubbing and bar hopping days?)  Each month we are going to pick a theme and each person is going to bring a dish/ingredients in.  Our first theme as Asian Cuisine! 

In recent years pork belly has appeared in almost every restaurant, but long before it became the appetizer du jour, it has been a staple in Asian cuisine.  This is one of the Japanese classic recipes that I made recently when my friends and I all got together.  My friend MC taught us all how to make Buta no Kakuni!   While this dish takes a while to make, it is definitely worth the wait.   The pork falls apart in your mouth and it sooo good!  Oh and she just started her own blog too!  It’s Slow Carb focused, check it out here!

Buta no Kakuni
from MC

1 lb pork belly (choose a piece with the skin still on if possible)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 large Tokyo green onion, cut into 6 inch pieces
1 large piece ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cooking sake
2 cups water
4 medium boiled eggs *optional
daikon *optional

1,  Cut the pork into large cubes.  Turn the burner on medium-high and using a heavy bottom pot to brown the pork.  Brown the pork on all sides.  *No need to put oil in the pan, start with the fat side down.*

2.  Once pork is browned, push the pork to the outer edges of the pan and add sugar to the fat in the middle of the pan and stir until caramelized. Coat pork with this substance.

3.  Add all other ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer.  Cover and let cook for 3 hours. 

Optional:  During the last hour you can add large peeled pieces of daikon to the pan.  And a couple minutes before serving you can add the medium boiled eggs to the pan, allowing the eggs to soak up some sauce. *Careful not to let it soak too long or the egg will cook all the way through.*

So yummy this just melted in our mouths!  I need to make this again soon!!  The Korean Sushi was also a part of our feast that Sunday and I have one more dish that I will share with you as well!  Up for next time is a Crab Boil! 

Carnitas

Living in Los Angeles for the past 10 plus years and going to college at USC my friends and I are taco connoisseurs.  We’ve done taco trucks, gone to taco drive thrus where the pick up window is on the passenger side (CHANNOS!), had tacos from street vendors and even done 3-4 taco tours around the greater Los Angeles area.  (I think it’s time do another taco tour soon)  It’s fair to say, that we have had our fair share of good and bad tacos.  We’ve even tried birria (goat), tounge, potato and of course all of the fusion tacos that have hit LA in the past two years.  No matter how many tacos I have tried, I most often come back to and judge any taco establishment by their Carnitas taco. 

My friend J and her hubby recently had a cutie patootie named Mila (you might have remembered her baby shower).  After all the friends and family had cleared out, I had wanted to bring a meal over to their house.  Something that would make them a lot of food and would be easy to heat up.  I sent J a list of options and she choose the Carnitas!  I was excited since I had seen this recipe on Just One Cookbook and the Culinary Chronicles and had bookmarked it to make soon.  I was super excited since I had never made carnitas before and was curious to see how it was done.  Let me tell you super easy (though time consuming) and super delish! 

Braised Carnitas
adapted from Culinary Chronicles and Just One Cookbook

3-4 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 5 inch pieces
3 Tbsp. Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. oil
2 bottles Fat Tire Beer
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. Chile powder
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp. Cayenne
1/4 tsp. Cumin
2 Bay Leaves

1.  Cut the pork shoulder into 5 inch pieces.  Rinse the pork pieces and pat dry with a paper towel and season pieces well with salt.

2.  Heat up the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Cook the pieces of pork in a single layer, making sure not to over lap the pieces.  Cook the pork until they are well browned on each side.  Be sure to brown each side of the pork, this may take anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes.  *The browning is the best part, don’t skimp on this part since it creates the best flavor. Bits of fat and meat will stick to the bottom of the pan, don’t worry we’ll take those bits into the braising liquid.*

3.  Once pork is browned remove the pieces from the pot and blot of most of the excess oil using a paper towel.  Absorb most of the oil, leaving just 1 Tbsp. remaining in the pot.  Lower the heat to medium and add in the diced onions and cook until they are translucent.  Add in the garlic cooking for a minute, then slowly add in the beer.  Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. 

4.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add the spices and the pork back into the pot and place into the oven with the lid off.  Turn the pork about every 30 minutes, and cook for 3 to 3/12 hours.  The liquid will be mostly evaporated and the pork will be so tender it will almost fall apart.  Remove the pork pieces from the pan and let them cool. 

5.  Shred the pork into bite size pieces and serve!

This carnitas was so yummy!  JK and her hubby loved it.  We picked up some additional rice and beans to go along with the carnitas tacos and chips that I had brought over to the house.  This would be a great recipe to make when you have friends coming over.  While this recipe is time consuming, it’s relatively easy and for the most part you just have to flip the meat every 30 minutes. 

Kalua Pig Pizza with Lomi Tomato

I’m so excited for the long weekend!  Please don’t be jealous, but on Friday night I am going to the NKOTBSB concert!  LOL yes New Kids combined with Backstreet Boys.  I’m hoping it will be cheesy awesome goodness and bring back lots of good memories.  Yes they are older, but so am I and I think they still got it!  

Photo from www.nkotbsb.com

On another note, I hope you’ve enjoyed my Hawaii series so far, we’re almost wrapping it up.  As I mentioned in my Lomi Lomi Tomato post, there is a common misconception that Canadian bacon/pepperoni and pineapple is a Hawaiian pizza.  While I totally get the marketing/naming convention, I want to share with you what I think is a REAL Hawaiian pizza!  If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen this a couple of weeks ago!   

Kalua Pig Pizza with Lomi Tomato

1 package pizza dough
flour, to handle dough
1 cup kalua pig
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup caramelized onions, about 1 medium onion
1 cup Lomi Lomi Tomato
1 stalk green onion, sliced

Note:  You can find Kalua Pig at most Hawaiian Supermarkets, or in the Hawaii section of some Japanese supermarkets.   

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stretch dough to form a pizza, using flour and rolling pin to help you shape.  Place pizza on a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Drizzle dough with olive oil and sprinkle minced garlic evenly on the dough.   

2.  Sprinkle half the mozzarella on the pizza, add the kalua pig, caramelized onions and add the other half of the cheese.  *Use those crockpot caramelized onions that you froze earlier!*

3.  Put pizza into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and crust is crisp.  Top with Lomi Tomato mixture and green onions.

Um this was amazing!!  The salty smokiness of the Kalua pig on the pizza was so good with the refreshing lomi tomato on the top… Topped with a splash of Tabasco and I was in heaven.  This moved to the top of the list of what I am doing with all my left over Kalua pig from now on.  Alright alright, for those of you who still want some pineapple- I’m sure some pineapple habanero salsa would also be amazing on this as well.  =)  Have a great 4th of July!   

Kalua Pig

For years this was requested by my friends and co-workers every time we had a potluck get together.  Little did they know, it is easily one of the cheapest and easiest main dishes to bring!  Kalua pig is a dish that is synonymous with Hawaii!  Traditionally in Hawaii (and at any Luau that you go to on the island), people will dig a hole in the ground which is called an imu.  This basically serves as an underground oven that is lined with fragrant woods, stones, and banana leaves that steam that cook the entire pig.  Please see my lovely models below as they lift the pig out of the imu.   

The pork is then so tender and juicy the meat basically falls apart as your pick it up with your fork.  While I have been lucky enough to participate a couple times in the imu process, most of us don’t have time to dig a large hole in our back yard or time to catch a pig (or have any desire to).  So today we are going to make this in our crockpot.  Non crockpot owners – I think you can also adapt this to the oven.  Wait- but since this series of post is all about Hawaii thought I would leave you with a few pics of some of my favorite places on the island!  (Makapu’u, Portlock, Haunama Bay, Waikiki at the Moana)

 

Crockpot Kalua Pig

1 pork butt or shoulder (3-5lbs)
1 1/2 Tbsp Hawaiian Salt (or any type of rock salt)
1 Tbsp liquid smoke

1.  Pierce pork with a knife several times.  Rub salt and liquid smoke all over the pork and place in the crockpot. *Please resist the urge to trim the fat, the fat turns to liquid and is what cooks the meat.  If you are an oven user, at this point you would cut the pork into several pieces to fit into your baking dish (if needed), season with salt and liquid smoke and wrap them tightly in foil*

2.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. *If you are an oven user, place your tightly wrapped pork pieces in a roasting dish and add 1/3 inch of water to the pan.  Cover pan with foil and seal well and create a little tent at the top.  Place into the oven at 325 degrees for 4 –5 hours depending on the size of your pork butt.*  

3.  Remove meat from crockpot (or oven) and shred.  Reserve some of the cooking liquid and add to meat to moisten.  Season with additional salt if needed.  

Serve with hot rice and Lomi Lomi Tomato.  An alternate serving is to quickly sautee some cabbage until it is soft with the kaula pork and also serve with rice, I did it with some spinach since that’s what I had on hand.  Or my bosses favorite, just serve it sandwich style in some King’s Hawaiian sweet bread rolls!   

One of the great things about Kalua pig is that it freezes extremely well and is a great thing to have on hand in your fridge.  Over the years my friends and I have found many uses for the leftovers.  Next post I’ll show you a truly “Hawaiian” pizza that you can make with it! 

Pork Chops with Mustard Pretzel Crumbs

I love this recipe.  It’s as simple as that.  Pork is one of my favorite meats, but I feel like it is often over looked for chicken or beef.  As “the other white meat” pork cuts can be lean and delicious and is more affordable than people may think.  This recipe is great since it combines two of my favorite ingredients, pretzels and mustard! 

I had picked up a gourmet Chipotle Honey mustard a while back and had spotted these Sea Salt and Pepper pretzels the other day.  Those pretzels by the way are addicting!  If you recreate with this flavor, definitely do not open the bag before you set aside your pretzels for the pork chop!  These pork chops come together in less than 30 minutes and are so moist and flavorful.    

Pork Chops with Mustard Pretzel Crumbs
adapted Epicurious

Serves 2

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2/3 cup Snyder's Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Pretzels Pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp. Dijon or Honey Mustard
2 Pork Chops, 1 inch thick (1 lb. total)

1.  Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place the Salt and Pepper Pretzel Pieces into the blend and pulse a couple times until the pretzels turn into a crumb like topping.  *If you do not use the Sea Salt Pretzel flavor, you may need to season additionally with more salt.*

2.  In a preheated pan, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, garlic, pretzel crumbs, garlic, Italian Seasonings and salt and pepper.  Brown crumbs and combine mixture for a couple minutes until crumbs turn a golden brown. 

3.  Remove crumbs into a bowl and clean pan.  Add remaining olive oil to the pan and brown pork chop for 4 minutes on each side. 

4.  Place pork chop in baking dish and spread mustard over each pork chop and cover with pretzel crumbs.  Place into the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes.  *Watch carefully or your pretzel crumbs may burn!*

Serve with additional mustard for dipping if you like.  I had it with some Israeli Couscous sautéed with spinach and tomatoes.  But it would be great with some mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.  I hope you guys like it, this recipe is being added into my regular rotation for sure!

Dan Dan Noodles

Are you all ready for the long weekend?  I’m about to embark on a trip with my mom to the East Coast.  We will be visiting New York, Boston and Washington DC.  It will be a chance to meet up with a couple of friends, see a Broadway show, see some monuments, get some QT with my mom and hopefully have some good eats as well!  I plan on bringing my DSLR with me, so hopefully I will get the hang of it and capture some great pictures!   But just in case you miss me you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook to see what we are up to or EATING!  

While I am gone, I thought I would leave you with this great dish, Dan Dan Mian!  Something about peanut sauce is so comforting and delicious.  Dan Dan Noodles is one of my favorites since it’s peanuty and spicy at the same time.  This recipe actually comes from Joanne Chang from Flour Bakery in Boston- one of the many places I hope to visit on my upcoming trip!  Since the sauce is so strong I thought that it would be a perfect match for my favorite Shirataki Noodles!!   

Dan Dan Noodles
adapted from Food and Wine

1/2 lb. ground pork
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. green onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. Sriracha
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
1 tsp. honey (or sugar)
1 1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock (or water)

Noodles (I used chow mien and Shirataki but you can use any noodle)

1.  Heat a skillet and add in ground pork, 1 Tbsp. of soy sauce and season slightly with some salt.  Using a wooden spoon, cook ground pork and separate into crumbles.  *Most likely you don’t need to add any oil since there is enough fat in the pork.*

2.  Using a slotted spoon remove pork from the pan and drain on a paper towel.  Remove 90% of the fat from the pan.

3.  Add to the skillet the minced garlic, ginger and green onions.  Sautee for a couple minutes.  *It will smell crazy good!!*

4.  In a small bowl mix the remaining ingredients together (peanut butter, sriracha, honey, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar, chicken stock).  Once roughly combined add the mixture to the skillet.  Let simmer for a couple of minutes till it starts to thicken and add the pork back in.  *Did you see all that oil that I saved you from?  Aren’t you happy you drained the pork now?*

Servings: 3, Calories: 252, Total Fat: 18.6 g, Carbs: 5.2g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 16.4g
*Nutrition for sauce only*

Serve sauce over hot noodles and garnish with green onions and peanuts.  This sauce is so yummy with a nice touch of spice in it.  It’s great over chow mien and it’s a great sauce to put over Shirataki noodles.  A little of this sauce goes a long way on noodles since it’s flavors really pack a punch!  

Pork Kim Chee Shirataki Noodles!

If you've been on a low carb diet or Weight Watchers, you've most likely heard of Shirataki Noodles.  Known as the "miracle noodle" these babies have 0-3 grams of carbs, 0-20 calories, no cholesterol, sugar free, gluten and dairy free! These noodles are made of konnyaku (a member of the yam family) a water soluable high fiber substance.  My favorite is the Tofu Shirataki Noodle, since I like the texture a lot more than just the konnyaku noodle. 

These noodles are great in soups and stir frys, but to be honest I don't love them as Italian pasta dishes.  But, if you want to try them, Hungry Girl's website has a ton of recipes.  I have also been trying to eat a lot more veggies, so these noodles are a great way to incorporate them into a meal.

Pork Kim Chee Shirataki Noodles

1 pkg Tofu Shirataki Noodles
0.5 lbs pork, sliced paper thin
2 cup baby bok choy
1.5 cups bean sprouts
0.5 cups sliced mushrooms
0.5 cups water
1 cup kim chee
2 Tbsp Kim Chee base
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
5 stalks mira (or green onions)

Prep:  Rinse Shirataki Noodles well several times (there will be a stinky smell- so don't skip this step!).  Microwave the noodles for one minute and blot with a paper towel.  *This will help get rid of the weird odor you will smell when you open the bag*

1.  Heat large skillet or wok on medium to high heat.  Add in bok choy, bean sprouts and mushrooms to pan and pour 1/2 cup of water into pan and cook vegetables.  Cook and let water start to evaporate from pan.

2.   Push veggies to perimiter of the pan and add 1 Tbsp of Kim Chee base, 1 tsp sesame seed oil and 1 Tbsp soy sauce to the middle of the pan.  Add in thinly sliced pork.  *If you don't use paper thin pork, cook pork beforehand in a seperate pan.*  Mix sauce, veggies and pork until pork is completely cooked.

3.  Add in chopped kim chee, Shirataki noodles and other Tbsp of Kim Chee base.  Mix until noodles are heated through and evenly coated with sauce. 

Makes 2-3 servings

Not only is this super low cal, but it is also super filling!  Some people do not like the "different" texture of the Shirtaki Noodles but with all the different veggies textures I don't even notice!