Japanese Izakayas, like English pubs and Spanish tapas bars, are first and foremost a place to drink and talk with your friends - the food is there to accompany the drinks. And what delicious food. Yakitori (skewers), grilled fish, sashimi, karaage (deep fried chicken) - all served tapas-style and designed to be shared.
The first dish I tried at an Izakaya in Japan was Buta no Kakuni, or braised pork belly, served as a complementary appetizer in a tiny bar, seating no more than a dozen people. This recipe is inspired by that dish, using the same braising liquid and method as Buta no Kakuni, but made with pork ribs instead. The result is soft, succulent meat falling off the bone, coated with an aromatic, sweet sauce.
Makes enough for 4 to share
500g pork ribs (choose a cut with a bit of meat and fat on it)
1 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 bunch spring onion, chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons sugar
Quarter cup of soy sauce
Quarter cup of sake
1 star anise
Water
Soft boiled eggs (optional)
What to do
Heat oil in heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high, and sear meat until brown on all sides. Add ginger and sugar, toss to coat, and cook until sugar starts to caramelise.
Add spring onions, soy sauce, sake, star anise, and enough water to cover meat. Lower heat to simmer and cook for at least 2 hours.
Optional - add soft boiled eggs to pot to allow the flavours to seep into eggs.
Remove meat and eggs, and turn up heat to reduce the sauce for about 10mins. Serve pork and eggs with the reduced sauce and Japanese mustard on the side.
Instead of serving tapas-style, I served the braised pork ribs with a braised egg, Chinese cabbage, and steamed rice to make a balanced and yummy weeknight dinner. An added benefit of cooking this dish - the aroma of ginger, star anise and the sweet sauce fills your house!
