Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)
Pork belly is seared until golden, then simmered low and slow in a soy-based sauce until deeply seasoned — this is chashu, the classic topping for Japanese ramen. It's about as simple as boiling bossam, yet the sweet-savory glaze soaks all the way through, making it perfect on ramen, rice bowls, and more.
Ingredients
Main
- Pork belly300g
Seasoning
- Soy sauce1 cup
- Water1 cup
- Cheongju (rice wine) or cooking wine1/2 cup
- Sugar1/2 cup
- Black pepperA little
- Garlic cloves5 cloves
- Bay leaves3-4 leaves
Directions
- 1
Chashu starts with searing pork belly. It's easiest to buy a thick block of pork belly meant for boiling, slice it into manageable pieces, and sear those.
- 2
Sear every side of the pork belly in a pan over medium-high heat. You just want the surface golden brown to lock in the juices — no need to cook it through yet.
- 3
Add the seared pork belly to a sauce made of soy sauce, water, cheongju, sugar, black pepper, garlic cloves, and bay leaves, then bring to a simmer. Adding onion and scallion makes it even better.
- 4
From here it's just simmering, so aside from the initial searing, this may be the easiest pork dish to make.
- 5
If the sauce doesn't fully cover the pork belly, roll the meat and baste it with sauce as it simmers. You don't need to make a large batch of sauce — just keep the ratio. Depending on the thickness of the pork belly, it should be fully cooked in about 20–30 minutes, similar to boiling bossam.
- 6
Once the chashu is well seasoned and cooked through, sear it once more in the pan for a smoky char. This step is optional.
- 7
Sear every side of the chashu in a pan over medium heat, then slice it into pieces for serving.
Tips
The soy sauce, water, and cheongju amounts are given as a ratio, so measure them all with the same cup or ladle relative to your pork belly — I used a 200ml cup as my reference. If you're making chashu rice bowl, don't throw away the braising sauce; drizzle it over the rice instead. If you're making ramen, let the sauce cool and soak soft-boiled eggs in it to make seasoned eggs.