How to Make CHASHU Pork for Ramen Easy (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)

Konnichiwa. Welcome to Japanese Cooking Ichie. Today we're making chashu. You often see chashu at ramen shops, but many of you might want to try making it at home. So, I'll clearly explain the steps so that anyone can easily make it. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel. Now let's get started. Please prepare a block of pork belly weighing between 500g and 700g. The length should be about 2-3 fist sizes slightly shorter compared to a chef's knife. First let's flatten the thickness of the pork. Can you see that the right side of the pork is a bit thicker? We will remove this part. The reason is that if the pork is too thick, gaps will form during the rolling process, making it difficult to roll properly. Using a knife, cut horizontally to trim the thicker part until it's flat. At this time, also remove any excess sinew. Check the thickness of the pork and as long as it's approximately flat, you're good to go. Next, make incisions in the pork. This step is necessary to make it easier to roll the pork and to ensure that the flavours penetrate and it cooks evenly. Next, prepare a fork. Use the fork to poke holes all over the surface of the pork. This also helps the flavours penetrate and ensures even cooking, so make sure to do this. Once you finish the front side, do the same on the back side. After that, carefully wipe off any drippings that cause odours with kitchen paper to complete the preparation. Now let's roll the pork to form a round shape. Can you see that the left side of the pork is thinner than the right side? If you start rolling from the thicker side, gaps will form, so we will begin from the thinner left side. To avoid any gaps, make sure to roll tightly with firm pressure. As long as there are almost no gaps, you're doing it right. Next, we'll secure the round shape of the pork by wrapping it with kitchen twine. First, wrap the twine around the pork vertically once and tie it tightly. Make sure to leave a little extra twine when tying. Next, the twine around the pork horizontally. To prevent the shape of the pork from collapsing, make sure to wrap the twine in the same direction that you rolled the meat. While shaping it with your hands, continue to wrap the twine at even intervals. Once you've wrapped the twine to the end of the pork, wrap the twine vertically again so that it crosses over the horizontal twine on the sides. After wrapping the twine 1.5 times, tie it tightly with the leftover twine to finish. Please cut off any excess twine. For the process of wrapping the twine horizontally, then wrapping it vertically 1.5 times and tying it to the initial twine, please refer to this. Next, we'll parboil the pork to remove any odors. Please add enough water to the pot to submerge the pork. We will also add ingredients that help eliminate odors. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves, 20 grams of sliced ginger, and the green parts of 1 stalk of long green onion torn into pieces. Tearing them helps to extract the odor-removing properties more effectively. Please do not cover the pot with a lid as it makes it harder to remove odors. Instead, place a kitchen paper towel over the top and heat on medium-high. Once it reaches a boil, skim off the foam that rises from the pork. The kitchen paper will absorb any odors from the foam, so you only need to remove the paper towel. To continue removing odors, place another kitchen paper towel on top and simmer on low heat for 90 minutes. To ensure the pork cooks evenly, occasionally spoon the cooking liquid over it and flip the pork every 20-30 minutes. After 90 minutes of simmering, turn off the heat and remove the pork. Also, take out 200ml of the boiling liquid from the pot. The remaining broth, rich in the flavor of the pork, is recommended for use in soups and other dishes. Next, prepare a frying pan with oil and heat it over medium heat. After 30 seconds, add the chashu and sear the surface until it gets a nice brown color all over. There are recipes that call for searing before parboiling, but it's recommended to sear after boiling for a more fragrant result. As excess oil can cause splattering, please wipe it off as needed with a kitchen paper towel. Pressing the chashu against the edges of the frying pan can help achieve a nice sear, so I recommend doing this. Once the chashu is browned all over, we will move on to making the braising liquid for soaking the chashu. Transfer the chashu to a deep pot and add the seasonings. 200ml of the boiling liquid, 100ml of soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Don't forget to dissolve the sugar. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and place another kitchen paper towel on top. This helps the braising liquid to penetrate the meat. Spoon the braising liquid over the meat to allow it to absorb the flavors. After simmering on low for 3 minutes, flip the chashu over. Replace the kitchen paper towel and spoon the braising liquid over it again. Simmer on low for another 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit for a while to cool down slightly. Prepare a bowl and place a ziplock bag inside it, opened wide. Then carefully add the pork and braising liquid to the ziplock bag without spilling. When closing the ziplock, press down like this to remove the air. This will ensure that the chashu is fully submerged in the braising liquid. Leave it in the refrigerator for half a day to allow the flavors to penetrate. Once the flavor of the braising liquid has thoroughly penetrated the chashu, take it out of the refrigerator and cut it into bite-sized pieces. First, use scissors to cut the twine and carefully remove it from the chashu. Then, slice the chashu at regular intervals. A thickness of about 1 cm provides a satisfying bite and is recommended. By cutting it gradually like this, you can easily slice without losing its shape, so give it a try. Finally, we'll sear the chashu and make the sauce. You don't need to add oil to the frying pan. By cooking each side of the chashu for 1 minute, it will become fragrant and taste even better. Once both sides are seared, transfer it to a plate and let's move on to making the sauce. Wipe out the oil from the frying pan and add the braising liquid. Heat it over medium heat, making sure it doesn't burn. Once it thickens slightly like this, it's ready. Once you've drizzled the sauce over the chashu with a spoon, plating is complete. The slowly simmered chashu is tender and pairs beautifully with the sweet sauce, making it incredibly delicious. Finally, let me introduce my recommended way to enjoy it. To enhance the savoury flavour, use a burner to sear the surface and place it on top of rice. With the sauce poured over it, you have a chashu rice bowl. My chashu recipe is very juicy, making it a perfect match with rice. Be sure to give it a try. I hope you are enjoying today's video. If you enjoyed the recipe, please let me know. If you liked this video, please subscribe to the channel and give it a thumbs up. We also have social media like Instagram, so please check them out in the description. Thank you for watching and see you in the next video. Arigato.