How to Cook Cola-Braised Pork Belly

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 1 ½ hours

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients needed to make Cola-Braised Pork Belly:

For the dashi:

• 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 ¾ oz katsuobushi
• 8’’ dried konbu
• 1 ¾ pint softened tap water

For the pork:

• 2 oz pork belly, rind removed
• 1 ½ yeast extract
• 16 fl oz cola
• 5 fl oz Worchestershire sauce
• 10 fl oz dashi
• 7 tbsp mirin
• 5 tbsp red wine
• 5 fl oz soy sauce

For the fondant squash:

• 3 1/2 oz dashi
• 1 small red kuri squash
• 3 ½ oz red wine
• 3 ½ oz butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Cooking instructions for Cola-Braised Pork Belly:

• To cook the dashi, immerse the shiitake mushrooms and konbu in a bowl of water for about 15-20 minutes or until they soften.
• Pour them into a small pan and heat the mixture over slow flame until the liquid is just about to boil.
• Drain off the shiitake mushrooms and bring it to a boil.
• Lower the heat at once and continue to cook the konbu for about 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in the katsuobushi.
• Let it sink into the bottom of the dashi and then pass it through a fine sieve to strain; set aside to cool.
• To make the pork, warm up your oven to 325 F and place the meat into a roasting pan.
• Add rest of the ingredients for the pork into a small bowl and whisk them together to mix.
• Pour it all over the pork and roast it at the preheated temperature for a couple of hours, while brushing it with the cooking liquid from time to time.
• Take it out of the oven and set it aside for about 15 minutes; cut it into thick slices and set aside.
• To  cook the squash, slice it horizontally into four thick rings, each about ½’’ thick
• Heat oil and butter in a ovenproof pan and place the squash rings on it.
• Cook each side for about 5 minutes or until it browns evenly.
• Pour in the dashi, followed by a splash of wine and cook in the oven for about half an hour or until the squash softens.
• Wait until the liquid is absorbed and remove from heat.
• Trim off the skin and pulp of the squash rings and set aside.
• Place each squash ring at the middle of every serving plate and spoon the braising liquid over it.
• Place each pork slice on top of squash ring and serve.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons