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Servings: 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Active Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
Pork Belly:
3 lbs (1361g) pork belly, skin on
2.5 teaspoons (13g) kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1.5 teaspoons (8g) sugar
½ teaspoon (2g) ground white pepper
½ teaspoon (2g) five spice powder
2 teaspoons (10mL) shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon (15mL) rice vinegar or white distilled vinegar, for brushing
Rice:
2 cups (380g) short grain rice
2 cups (473ml) water
Bok Choy:
4 heads bok choy, quartered with root intact
1 tablespoon (15mL) soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10mL) rice vinegar
1 tablespoon (15mL) honey
2 tablespoons (30mL) vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
Directions:
Oven Method:
In a large pan or wok, heat 4 cups of water over high heat until boiling. Carefully lower in the pork belly, skin side down, and boil for 1 minute or until the skin changes color. Flip and par boil the other side an additional 30 seconds. Place the par boiled pork belly, again skin side down, in a large bowl of ice water. Once cooled, place on a sheet tray and dry with a paper towel. Holding a knife upright with the blade against the pork belly skin, with pressure, scrape the skin a few times both directions to remove any debris or hair.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the salt, sugar, white pepper, and five spice. Add the shaoxing wine and mix until it forms a paste.
Flip the pork belly over so the skin side is down and make two large slashes in the meat lengthwise, about ½ inch into the meat. Repeat the slashes in the perpendicular direction to create a sort of a checkerboard pattern. Rub the spice paste into the meat but not the skin.
Flip over again so the skin side is facing up. Salt the entire surface of the pork belly skin generously with kosher salt. Leave in the fridge uncovered for 12-24 hours to dry out the skin.
Once ready to cook, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Place a large piece of aluminum foil onto a baking tray. Set the pork belly in the center and fold the sides of the foil up around the pork snugly to create a frame. The foil should reach about 1 inch high around the sides of the belly. Using a sharp metal skewer or toothpicks, poke holes all over the skin, making sure not to puncture the meat, just the skin. Pat the skin dry with paper towels then lightly brush on the rice vinegar and roast for 1.5 hours.
Remove the pork from the oven and increase heat to 425°F (218°C). Take the meat out of the foil boat and place on a fresh flat piece of foil. Return the pork belly to the oven and cook for 10-15 more minutes, or until the skin is puffed. Remove it from the oven and let rest for a minimum of 10 minutes, ideally around 30 minutes.
Air Fryer Method:
Follow steps 1-4 from the above oven method section. Once ready to cook, preheat the air fryer to 250°F (121°C).
Place the pork belly in the center of a piece of aluminum foil. Fold the sides up around the pork snugly to create a frame that goes about 1 inch high around the sides. Brush a layer of rice vinegar on the skin then coat aggressively with salt, creating about a ¼ inch layer across the entire surface.
Once preheated, air fry for 30 minutes or until the salt becomes completely dry. Remove the pork belly from the air fryer and increase the heat to 400°F.
Scrape off the salt then lightly brush the skin with vegetable oil and place back in the air fryer until the skin is puffed and crisp, about 30-40 minutes. Your pork may finish faster depending on your air fryer so check it at the 20 minute mark to ensure it is not burning.
Rice:
Start by washing and rinsing the rice three times or until the water runs clear. Add the rice and water to a rice cooker and cook according to your machine’s instructions.
Once cooked, keep warm in the rice cooker until ready to serve.
Bok Choy:
In a large skillet, heat your vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add your bok choy flat side down and sear until deeply browned and almost charred, about 2-3 minutes. Flip to the other cut side and sear again. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan if necessary.
Add all of the bok choy back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add about ⅓ cup of water. Cut the heat to low and allow to steam for about 3-4 minutes. It should soften but still have some crunch. Think al dente.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey until homogenous.
Increase the heat to medium high, pour in your sauce, toss often, and cook until reduced to a glaze-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the sauce during this process. Cut the heat completely and add the garlic, tossing until combined.
Assembly:
Once the pork belly has rested, slice into cubes using a cleaver or chef’s knife. In a medium sized serving bowl, pile up a bed of steamed rice followed by the bok choy and finally the pork belly. Serve and enjoy.
