Pork belly bowl or buta don is a super quick and easy meal that is perfect for any busy day. In Japanese, βbutaβ translates to pig and βdonβ (short for βdonburiβ) means bowl. To make pork belly bowl or buta don, all you need is 10 minutes and 6 ingredients for a hearty and comforting meal.
Ingredients
- Pork belly β This recipe calls for thinly sliced pork belly. The juiciness of the pork belly pairs so well with the sweet and savory sauce over rice. You can substitute with any cut of pork you like such as thinly sliced pork shoulder, butt, loin, etc.
- Soy sauce β Light soy sauce or Japanese soy sauce works best but feel free to substitute the soy sauce
- Sake β Sake is used to remove odor from pork and also add flavor depth to the sauce. If you donβt want to use sake, you can substitute it with water. However, keep in mind the flavor will not be the same.
- Mirin β Mirin is Japanese sweet rice wine. It is similar to sake but it has a higher sugar content. There is no real substitute for mirin.
- Sugar β Granulated white sugar or any type of sugar works
- Rice β Japanese short or medium grain rice is the only type of rice used in Japanese cuisine. But you can use any rice you have at home.
Tips for making pork belly bowl
There arenβt too many things to look out for when making this delicious bowl of goodness. It is fairly easy to make but here are some things to look out for.
- Do not overcook pork belly β make sure to only cook the pork about 80% when you pour in the sauce. You donβt want to render out the fat too much because it will leave the pork belly a little chewy and hard.
- Be careful to not burn sauce β because of the high sugar content, it makes the sauce prone to burning. Make sure to mix well and lower heat if needed. The sauce should thicken up in a few minutes.
- Make rice before cooking the pork β making rice will take time depending on what you use to cook it. When I am in a rush, I use my instant pot to make rice as it only takes 15 minutes. There are microwaveable rice options as well.
Pork Bowl (Buta Don)
To make pork belly bowl orΒ buta don, all you need is 10 minutes and 6 ingredients to make this hearty and comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 200 g Cooked Rice
Pork
- 1/2 lb Thinly sliced pork belly any cut of pork
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sake
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tbsp Sugar
Toppings optional
- 1 Egg yolk pasteurized
- 1 Green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook rice. This will take the longest time depending on what you use to cook rice. I like to use my instant pot to make rice when I am in a rush and it only takes 15 minutes.
Pork instructions
- In a pan on medium heat, pan fry pork belly until 80% cooked (timing will depend on thickness of pork)
- Using a paper towel, soak up excess oil from pork belly
- Add in soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar
- Stir well and simmer until the sauce caramelizes and thickens up. This should only take a few minutes. Keep an eye out because the high sugar content will cause the pork to burn easily.
- Once sauce thickens up and pork is cooked through. Pork is ready.
Plating
- Serve it over a bowl of rice to make it a pork donburi (bowl)
- Top it with thinly sliced green onions and egg yolk
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Video
@tiffoodss Pork belly bowl or Buta don π·π All you need is 10 minutes for a quick and hearty meal π #porkbelly #porkbellybowl #butadon #japanesefood #easyrecipe
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