Tokachi butadon

Ingredients

• 1 leek
• 600 g skinless pork belly, cut into ½ cm slices
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 cups cooked short-grain rice, to serve
• Aonori (dried sea lettuce), shichimi togarashi, to serve

For the butadon tare (glaze)

• ¼ cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 2 tbsp water
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup mirin
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, bruised

Instructions

1. Very thinly slice the leek and place in a large bowl of iced water to curl.
2. For the tare, place the ¼ cup sugar and 2 tbsp water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook to a medium-brown caramel, then add the extra 1 tbsp of sugar and the remaining ingredients. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then set aside.
3. Heat a barbecue or grill pan over high heat. Place the pork into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with oil. Toss well to coat, then grill until browned on both sides. Remove to a bowl once cooked. Pour the prepared tare over the pork and toss well to coat.
4. To serve, drain the leek curls. Divide cooked rice between bowls. Top the rice with the pork and curled leek, then sprinkle with aonori and a little shichimi togarashi.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.