Authentic Miso Pork Belly Stir Fry with Mirin

Ingredients

1 pound or 500 gram Pork Belly, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick pieces

The key is to cut the meat not super thin and not more than 1/2 inch. Too thick will take longer to cook. Too thin might cook too quickly and eventually lose our tenderness.

3 tablespoons Miso Paste

We are using white miso paste or yellow miso paste instead of red miso. Red miso has a stronger flavor. We want a miso taste, but not so strong that it overpowers the whole dish with only a miso taste. Most people use red miso paste while braising.  

On the other hand, white miso paste is suitable for stir-frying. However, this is just a suggestion, feel free to use anything. White miso is readily available in supermarkets and online stores. I bought mine during my Japan traveling last 2 months.

2 tablespoons Mirin

If you ever want your dish to taste very authentic Japanese flavor. The key is to put some mirin it. It will add some saltiness, bitterness, and umami to make the stir fry more complex in flavor. 

2 tablespoons Honey

I am using Manuka Honey, but you can use any honey you like. 

3 tablespoons Water

Water is used to thin out our marinated sauce.

1 tablespoon Grated Ginger

This is our only aromatic. Ginger adds an aromatic, mildly spicy, and balancing element to the miso pork belly stir fry, enhancing the overall flavor profile of the dish.

1/2 teaspoon Black or White Pepper

Pepper (black or white) adds a subtle hint of heat to the stir-fry dish.

1/3 carrot or 60 grams of Carrot, thinly sliced

The carrot adds crunchiness and sweetness, enhancing our pork belly’s savory taste.

180-gram Cabbage, thinly sliced

This cabbage also adds a bit of crunchiness and sweetness to our dish and makes the plate more visually appealing.

50 gram Top Parts of Green Onions, chopped

Green onion brings a vibrant touch to the dish in terms of taste and visual appeal. Notes: The top parts mean the green leaf part, not the white root area.

Preparation 

1. To make a marinated sauce, combine the water, white miso, mirin, grated ginger, and honey in a small bowl.
   
   
   
   
2. Place the sliced pork belly in a shallow dish.
   
   
3. Pour the marinated sauce into the pork belly and mix well. Make sure each slice of the meat is coated well with the sauce.
   
   
   
   
4. Place the marinated pork belly in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours. I marinated mine for 1 hour. Thin slices of meat basically take a shorter time to marinate. 1 or 2 hours should be sufficient.

Stir Fry the Miso Marinated Pork Belly

1. Put 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into a skillet. If using a traditional skillet, like a stainless steel pan, ensure your pan is preheated before cooking. I suggest using a non-stick pan for our home cook mission.
   
   
2. Over medium-high heat, place the marinated pork belly into the pan. Reserve the remaining marinated sauce for later use.
   
   
3. Stir fry the pork belly until it starts to get golden brown. That should take us about 7 minutes.
   
   
   
   
4. Throw in the carrots and cabbage. Stir fry until it gets a little soft, around 2 minutes.
   
   
   
   
5. Add all the reserved marinated sauce to the pork belly and vegetables. Keep stirring for 1 minute.
   
   
   
   
6. Add the chopped top parts of green onions into the mix, stir, and mix well. It takes around 10 seconds. 
   
   
   
   
7. There you have it, a delicious miso pork belly stir fry with mirin and honey in 10 minutes.
    

Serving Suggestions for Miso Pork Belly Stir Fry Recipe

1. Steamed Rice: Serve the stir fry over a bed of steamed rice. The rice will help absorb the stir fry flavors and provide a satisfying base for the dish.
   
   
2. Noodles: Instead of rice, you can serve the stir fry with noodles, such as udon noodles or soba noodles. 
   
   
3. Spaghetti: If you want a fusion of Italian and Japanese food, this is it. Like starchy rice, the starch will absorb all the miso and pork belly fat flavors and create a unique combination and complex flavor. 
   
   
4. Fresh Green Onion: Chop more green onions and scatter them around the miso pork belly stir fry dish.
   
   
5. Side Salad: Prepare a side salad with a Japanese-inspired salad with ingredients like seaweed, cucumber, and radishes. 

Tips and Variations for the Miso Pork Belly Stir Fry 

Ingredient substitutions or modifications 

• Beef: The meat can be easily substituted with beef. Choose a tender cut of beef such as ribeye, sirloin, or tenderloin if using beef.

• Sugar: You can substitute honey with sugar or erythritol (for low carbs). 

• Garlic: Add garlic to enhance the flavor with the carrot and cabbage. Feel free to skip the ginger if you want.

Alternative cooking method for pork belly

Instead of stir-frying the pork belly, you can pan-fry it for both sides. It should take around 7 minutes too.

Other Miso recipes

• Japanese-inspired miso braised pork belly using Red miso. 

• Fusion-style coconut milk and miso braised pork belly.

 I hope you will like the Miso Pork Belly Stir Fry with mirin recipe. Let me know if you have tried it. See you next round.