I had left over chasu and soy eggs, so good! Here's my chasu recipe:
Recipe for chasu (instant pot):
INGREDIENTS
• 500 g pork belly, skin on
• 1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
• 4 slices ginger
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup cooking sake (Japanese rice wine)
• 4 garlic, crushed
• 1 leek
• 1/2 cup mirin
INSTRUCTIONS
• Roll up the pork belly with the skin side out. Run some butcher twine under the middle of the pork. If your pork belly is long and wide, start under the far end instead of the middle. Tie a double knot to secure the pork tightly. Leave the short end about 2 inches long. Pull the long end to wrap around the pork belly and tie another double knot.
• In a pot of boiling water, blanch the pork belly for about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork to a pressure cooker. Add soy sauce, leek, ginger, water, sake, garlic, and mirin.
• Note: If the pork is not submerged in the sauce, cook for 40 minutes and flip it over and cook for another 40 minutes. Cover with the lid and cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. Do a slow-release and, after 20 minutes, open the lid.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear all sides of the pork until it's golden brown. DO NOT use Instant Pot for searing because the skin would stick to the pan and get ripped off.
• Once the pork is cooled down, transfer the meat and sauce to a large sealed container or a zip-top bag. Put it in the refrigerator overnight or until it's completely cool. This way the pork is easier to slice thinly after cooling, and this also gives the pork more flavor.
• When it's ready to serve, skim off the fatty oil on the surface. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and strain the sauce. Reserve the sauce for marinating soft-boiled eggs or for making more pork belly.
• Take out the butcher twine. Cut the meat thinly using a very sharp knife. Reheat the slices in soup broth or heat it in a saucepan with the sauce until hot.
NOTES
• If rolling up the pork is too much work, you can cook the slab for 1 hour in a pressure cooker, but there'll be a difference in texture.
• Freeze the marinated soy sauce for another use if needed.
• I don't recommend using pork belly without skin.