Rafute
Okinawan braised pork belly is quite similar to other dishes found in Japan (buta kakuni), China (hongshao rou) and elsewhere in Asia. Rafute uses the local Okinawan specialties of awamori, a distilled rice spirit similar to shochu or vodka, and the famous Okinawan black sugar with its rich, caramel taste.
Serve it with a spicy mustard like Japanese karashi or hot English mustard, or - as in the photo - an Australian mustard with pungent Tasmanian mountain pepper.
Cooking time
1-4h
Serves
6-8
Ingredients
- 1 kg female pork belly, skin on but bones removed
- 200 ml awamori (substitute vodka)
- 125 ml mirin
- 100 ml dark soy sauce
- 100 ml soy sauce
- 100g Okinawan black sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- 6 slices ginger
- ½ tsp mustard (hot English mustard, Japanese karashi or other spicy mustard of your choice)
Method
- Cover the pork belly with cold water in a large pot, bring to a simmer and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the water and rinse away any scum from both the pork and the pot. Cut the pork into 7cm square pieces and return to the rinsed pot.
- Add the awamori (or vodka), soy sauces, sugar, mirin and ginger, then add water until the pork is just covered. Cover the pork with a cartouche of baking paper or a drop lid and simmer for about 1.5 hours until the pork is very tender and the fat and skin are glossy and gelatinous. Serve the pork with a little of the braising liquid and the mustard on the side. Slice the pork before serving if you like. You can keep the braising liquid for further batches of rafute. Just freeze it and re-boil it when you want to use it again.
