Instant Pot Japanese Braised Pork Belly Recipe (Kakuni) – FOOD is Four Letter Word (2024)

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Method

• 1)

  Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the Pork Belly, Sliced Onions, Sliced Ginger and green section of the Green Onions. Once the water starts to boil again, let it boil for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and discard the onions and ginger.

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• 2)

  Make Soft Boiled Eggs by placing 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot and place 6 eggs on top of a trivet or in a steamer basket. Seal the Instant Pot lid and switch the knob to Sealing, set the Instant Pot for High Pressure / Manual for 3 Minutes, once the timer is up, switch the knob to Venting to do a quick release of the steam, when the pin drops – open the lid. Immediately place the eggs into a large bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. Peel the eggs and refrigerate them. Drain the water from the Instant Pot and dry the pot.

• 3)

  Place 1 Tablespoon of Oil into the Instant Pot and choose Sauté on the “More” option. Once the display shows “hot” add the Pork Belly and white sections of the Green Onions. Sauté until the pork belly is slightly brown on all sides. Remove and discard the green onions.

• 4)

  Add ¼ Cup Sake, ½ Cup Mirin, ½ Cup Soy Sauce, ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar and ¾ Cup Water. Scrape the bottom of your pot to make sure there’s nothing stuck. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot to turn off Sauté mode. Seal the Instant Pot lid and switch the knob to Sealing. Choose High Pressure / Manual and set for 30 Minutes, once the timer is up, wait 15 minutes before switching the knob to Venting to release the rest of the steam, once the pin drops – open the lid.

• 5)

  Press Cancel on the Instant Pot and choose Sauté on the “Less” option. Add the soft boiled eggs and let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn the eggs several times to ensure even browning and absorption of the sauce. The eggs should be perfectly hard boiled once they have simmered. Serve with short grain rice, steamed vegetables and karashi. Enjoy!

↓ Supplies to make this recipe ↓

6 Comments

• Janie

  February 16, 2019 at 11:08 am

  Hi! I came across your recipe and it looks so yummy and easier than the others I’ve searched online.
  My question is this: After the 30mins, do I let it continue to warm while I’m waiting the 15mins to quick release or do I turn off the instant pot completely while it’ releasing?

  I hope this makes sense.

  Looking forward to hearing from you as I am dying to try out this recipe but a little scared.

  Thank you in advance!

  Reply

  1. Van

     February 16, 2019 at 11:57 am

     Hi Janie, while you’re waiting for the natural pressure release, you leave it on Keep Warm. Hope you enjoy it!

     Reply

• Roger

  March 31, 2019 at 9:33 pm

  This dish was amazing! Everything came out perfectly cooked, including the super tender pork and just as described eggs. I saw pork belly on sale in Costco and had no idea what to do with it. My Japanese friend said it rivals her mom’s home-cooked version, which takes substantially longer to prepare.

  Reply

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  1. Van

     April 1, 2019 at 5:29 am

     That’s awesome Roger, thanks for letting me know!

     Reply

• Evans

  August 11, 2021 at 1:54 pm

  I’ve made this three times and every time I’ve done it it’s come out PERFECTLY, but the last time I doubled the recipe and when unopened the instant pot it wasn’t done yet, how should I adjust the time for a larger batch?

  Reply

  1. Van

     August 11, 2021 at 5:08 pm

     Hi Evans, it should have the same cooking time even if you double the recipe. Were the pork belly pieces cut to the usual size of 1-1.5 inch squares? You could try adding 10 minutes to the cooking time (keep NPR time the same).

     Reply