GRILLED PORK BELLY WITH SOY-MIRIN GLAZE

Grilled Pork Belly With Soy-Mirin Glaze image

Provided by Florence Fabricant

Time 1h30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 pound skinless pork belly
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup mirin
Sea salt
white pepper
1 cup beef stock
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
Vegetable oil for coating grill or pan
1 small kabocha squash, seeded, in 1/2-inch thick slices with skin
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons roasted, salted sesame seeds

Steps:

Cut pork belly into pieces about 3-inches square. Thinly slice each piece into squares no more than 1/4-inch thick. (Partly freezing the pork belly will make it easier to slice.)
Combine soy sauce, mirin, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Place pork in the bowl, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes but preferably overnight.
In a small saucepan, bring stock to a simmer. Add mushrooms, turn off heat and steep 30 minutes. Strain out mushrooms, and save for other use. Add honey and 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the stock. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until reduced by half. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and cook a few minutes longer, until thickened. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove pork from refrigerator. Heat a grill or grill pan and brush with vegetable oil. Place pork slices on grill and cook, turning every 4 minutes or so, until well seared and caramelized at the edges, about 20 minutes' total cooking time. Add remaining sesame oil to the marinade, add the squash, set aside 5 minutes, then place on the grill, turning, until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Arrange pork and squash on a platter. Heat glaze and brush on pork and squash. Sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 665, UnsaturatedFat 34 grams, Carbohydrate 27 grams, Fat 53 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 13 grams, SaturatedFat 16 grams, Sodium 2442 milligrams, Sugar 12 grams, TransFat 0 grams