Cook with QT – Crispy Pork Belly with nashi pear, wasabi, watermelon radish and smoked vinegar.

Turn your kitchen into the ultimate izakaya dining experience. Here you’ll ignite your senses for a night of vibrant refined flavours and uncover the secrets of Yamagen Japanese Executive Chef Adam Lane mastery.

Below, we’ve got our hands on Yamagen’s iconic Crispy Pork Belly with nashi pear, wasabi, watermelon radish and smoked vinegar – and you’re about to make it.

Note: recipe is for five portions.

Kanpai!

Ingredients:

Female Pork Belly 1/2

Master Stock 5lt 

Den Miso

Shiro Miso 90g, Castor sugar 60g, Mirin 35mls, Sake 35mls

Nashi Puree

Green apples (peeled, deseeded) 2, Nashi (peeled, deseeded) 4, Lemon Juice, Sake 30mls, Mirin 30 mls, Butter 15g, Cloves 5 piece, Star anise 2 star, Cinnamon Stick 1 

Smoked Vinegar

Rice vinegar 50 mls, Castor sugar 50g, Water 75 mls, Sakura wood chip for smoking 

Wasabi Oil

Watermelon radish

Micro coriander

Katakuriko

Method: 

BRAISE PORK BELLY

In a pot, bring master stock to a boil and skim off any scum. Place the pork belly in a deep tray and cover with the master stock. Cook on steam at 75 degrees for 12 hours.

Carefully lift the belly out of the master stock and place on a tray to cool in the fridge overnight. It is ideal to place a weight on top so it presses the belly flat.

Strain the master stock of any sediment and keep for another time.

DEN MISO

Incorporate all ingredients in a metal bowl and cook out over a water bath. This will take some time….

The result you are looking for is that the sugar is dissolved, all the alcohol is cooked out, and the consistence has become thicker. It should taste rich, salty and sweet.

NASHI PUREE

Place the butter and spices in a pot, over a low heat.

Add the nashi, apple and lemon juice and sweat for a couple of minutes.

Add the sake and mirin and continue to cook over a medium to low heat.

What we are looking to do is reduce the sake and mirin without over cooking the nashi and apple.

Take out the cinnamon stick and puree the nashi and apple in a liquidizer.

SMOKED VINEGAR

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Cover the bowl with cling wrap so it is air tight. Pierce the cling wrap with a knife, place the tube of a smoking gun in the hole and smoke.

Plating:

Trim the edges of the pork belly. Score the skin with a sharp knife in a criss cross fashion.

Cut into bite size pieces.

Lightly coat in katakuriko (potato starch) and fry for approximately 5 minutes.

Heat the nashi puree in a pan, smear a good table spoons worth on a plate.

Arrange the pork belly so it is sitting in the puree.

Add 1 drop of wasabi oil to each pork belly piece.

Drizzle the den miso over the pork belly (not too much, as it will over power the dish)

Finely slice the watermelon radish, cut a fresh nashi into match sticks and dress with the smoked vinegar. Arrange on top of the pork belly.

Finish with micro coriander.