I picked up this recipe (with a few modifications) from Profumo Profondo, so I’ll just add the link. Between the marinating and braise this dish takes a while (mostly non-active), but it’s well worth it. This is a classic braise, so it’s pretty hard to screw up.
If you’re not familiar with pork belly, you need to know this up front – this, as are all pork belly recipes, is a rich dish. And if you are not a fan of pork fat, it can be overwhelming the first time – but this will make you a convert (although I wouldn’t recommend this for a dinner party unless everyone is a confirmed pork fanatic).
All of the ingredients should be available at any good Asian market. I’ve never tried to source pork belly at a grocery store, but I would imagine they would order it for you. I’ve recommended substitutions for kecap manis (sweetened soy – Indonesian), but I don’t think they’d work here.
I bought a bottle of kecap manis and will be trying this recipe some time this week. Did you follow the last step in tossing it with the melted palm sugar? I was wondering if taking the lid off will allow the skin to get crispy. There’s nothing better then crispy pork fat!
Hi – thanks for the comment. I didn’t have palm sugar on hand, but if I remember correctly, I did melt dark brown sugar and toss the chunks in that. It gave a really nice glaze.
As for leaving the lid off, no, it really won’t get crispy. This is a braise, so the entire dish is intended to be moist and tender. I accidently left the foil off for the last segment of cooking and the skin actually got kind of tough. If you really want pork belly with crispy skin, check under my Thai category for Moo Krawp.