This Butadon recipe aka Japanese-Style Pork Rice Bowl is one of my favorite comfort foods. The pork belly is fried in a soy sauce, mirin, sake, and honey sauce that turns out glossy and rich. Served on a mountain of short-grain rice and topped with an egg yolk and chives, it's a recipe I really think you'll love.
I first came across this recipe in a book I was reading called "Abroad in Japan" by Chris Broad, and looked it up immediately! Butadon literally translates to pork rice bowl and there are variations of it across Japan. From Tokachi-Style Butadon, where the pork is sliced into thicker slabs, grilled, and basted in the glossy sauce, to Kanto-Style Butadon which is the one we're inspired by for today's recipe, where smaller, thinner slices of belly pork are stir-fried in a savoury soy sauce.
Butadon Recipe Video:
I adore pork belly, it's one of the tastiest and cheapest cuts of pork you can get. So, if you love it too, check out my pork belly fried rice recipe or my pork belly udon carbonara for some dinner inspiration! For the best crispy pork belly air fryer recipe, make sure to click on that link cause it's SO good.
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About Emily's Recipe
If you're new here, hi! I'm Emily - a recipe developer, food content creator, and cookbook author! Thanks for stopping by to check out my Butadon-inspired recipe. I really hope you enjoy it and please do let me know in the comments if you give it a go!
If you'd like to join a community of food lovers, just subscribe to my newsletter for recipes, cooking tips, and foodie chats. Now, let me tell you a bit more about this recipe...
Texture: The pork belly is slightly crispy and caramelised on the outside, and then soft and chewy on the inside.
Taste: sweet, sticky, salty is what you'll be tasting, three incredible flavours.
Ease: Very simple. This dish will take you less than 20 minutes to make.
Top Tips: 1. Make sure to use good quality, high fat pork belly. We don't want it drying out! 2. You want to cook the pork over high heat to lock in the juices and create a light sear on the outside. 3. To add extra flavour and avoid using two pans, we're cooking our pork in the same pan that we're then reducing the sauce in.
Would I make this again? Absolutely. It's the perfect recipe for when you want something comforting and simple.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pork belly: it's so important that for this Butadon dish, you pick a fatty pork cut. I've opted for juicy pork belly because it's full of delicious fatty bits which will mean the meat will stay moist and flavourful. Unlike a lean cut of pork (loin) which will dry out super quickly. If you love this recipe but want to make a vegan version, try it out with extra firm tofu!
Sake: Sake is a Japanese rice wine with a slightly sweet, umami-rich flavour. You can find it in many supermarkets nowadays but if you're struggling, then substitute it with a dry sherry.
Soy sauce: we're using light soy sauce for this dish. It's slightly saltier in flavour but lighter in colour than dark soy sauce which is slightly sweeter and more syrupy than light soy sauce.
Mirin: this is a sweet rice wine. If you struggle to find it, then you can replace it with rice wine vinegar.
Garlic: we're using fresh garlic for this recipe. You could alternatively use garlic granules or powder if you'd like. ½ teaspoon should be great!
Honey: to add a sweetness, we're using honey. You could use brown sugar or agave.
Rice: short-grain rice to go with our pork belly!
Egg: we're using an egg yolk to add creaminess and glossiness to our pork and rice dish. This is optional!
Chives: fresh chives are a lovely green addition to our Butadon. You could also use scallions (spring onions).
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: Place a skillet or frying pan on medium/high heat. Add in the pork belly and sear for a few minutes on each side until golden and slightly browned. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Meanwhile, prepare your Butadon sauce by adding soy sauce, sake, mirin, honey and minced garlic to a bowl. Stir and set aside.
Step 3: In the same pan that your pork belly was cooked in, add in the soy sauce mixture and place on medium heat. Leave to simmer for a few minutes or until thickened into a glossy sauce.
Step 4: Once thickened, add back in your pork belly and stir thoroughly so that the sauce is coating every side of pork belly.
Step 5: Divide your cooked short-grain rice between two bowls, then top with your cooked pork belly.
Step 6: Top the Butadon with an egg yolk and finely sliced chives. I really hope you enjoy the recipe!
What to do with leftovers
Storage: Leave the leftovers to cool, then place in airtight containers and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this Butadon recipe, wooo! Place it into a Tupperware (don't forget to label it with the date and its contents), and into the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost/thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating: Add a splash of water or milk to the Tupperware, then leave the lid ajar and reheat in the microwave until piping hot.
FAQs
For sure, just sub out the pork belly for cubes or slabs of extra firm tofu. The flavour obviously won't be the same but it will still taste delicious!
No, you'll have to make sure all of the sauces are specifically gluten-free versions!
To fry: pak choi, tenderstem broccoli, or aubergine/eggplant would be great! Fresh: sliced cucumber, edamame beans, or crunchy lettuce would be delicious.
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Butadon (Japanese-Style Pork Bowl)
Ingredients
- 400 g pork belly slices sliced into 1cm thick strips
- 100 ml light soy sauce
- 50ml ml sake
- 2 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 portions cooked short-grain rice
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 g chives finely chopped
Instructions
- Place a skillet or frying pan on medium/high heat. Add in the pork belly and sear for a few minutes on each side until golden and slightly browned. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare your Butadon sauce by adding soy sauce, sake, mirin, honey and minced garlic to a bowl. Stir and set aside.
- In the same pan that your pork belly was cooked in, add in the soy sauce mixture and place on medium heat. Leave to simmer for a few minutes or until thickened into a glossy sauce.
- Once thickened, add back in your pork belly and stir thoroughly so that the sauce coats every side of the pork belly pieces.
- Divide your piping hot, cooked short-grain rice between two bowls, then top with your cooked pork belly.
- Top the Butadon with an egg yolk and finely sliced chives. I really hope you enjoy the recipe!
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