This braised soy sauce pork belly is an adaptation of classic braised pork belly with aromatic soy-based sauce. It’s perfect as a one-pot meal when served with mung bean noodles or rice, which soak up the rich, savory sauce. You can make this in a regular saucepan on the stove or speed it up with a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
I usually prepare the pork a day ahead. Cooking and then chilling the pork allows most of the rendered fat to solidify so you can remove excess oil for a cleaner, less greasy sauce. If you prefer a richer mouthfeel, keep some fat — it’s a matter of taste.
Tips for Making Braised Soy Sauce Pork Belly
Choose pork belly with a balance of meat and fat according to your preference. If you want to reduce fat, select a leaner cut and chill the cooked pork so the fat congeals and is easy to skim off. Be cautious when tenderizing the skin: pricking the skin releases more oil during browning, which can be removed later if desired.
Pork belly with minimal fat
Preparing the Pork
Tenderize the skin lightly, then cut the pork belly into 1½” (4 cm) cubes. Browning the cubes first on high heat helps render fat and adds depth of flavor. After browning, add the soy sauce mixture and either simmer on the stove or pressure cook briefly to begin tenderizing the meat.
Tenderized and cubed pork belly
When pressure cooking, a brief 15-minute cycle will soften the pork enough that, once chilled, congealed fat can be removed before finishing. If you braise in a saucepan, simmer for about an hour until the meat is tender but still holds its shape.
Adding the soy sauce mixture to the browned pork
Vegetables
This stew traditionally includes dried shiitake mushrooms, daikon (Chinese radish), and potatoes. Use firm, non-baking potatoes so they hold their shape; baking potatoes break down and will thicken the sauce but lose texture. Cut vegetables into chunks similar in size to the pork so everything cooks evenly.
Cubed shiitake mushrooms, daikon and potatoes
Add the vegetables after skimming excess fat and pressure cook for about 10–15 minutes or simmer on the stove for 25–30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and infused with the sauce.
Thickening the Sauce
To finish the stew, bring the sauce to a simmer and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with a little cold water). Stir the slurry into the hot sauce and simmer until it becomes glossy and coats the meat and vegetables.
Braised soy sauce pork belly with shiitake mushrooms, daikon, and potatoes
Make It a One-Dish Meal
For a complete one-dish meal, add softened mung bean noodles (or any sturdy noodle that won’t go soggy) to the pot just before serving. Let the noodles soak in the sauce briefly so they absorb the flavors.
BRAISED SOY SAUCE PORK BELLY
By: Michelle Sam
Summary: Pork belly braised in a savory soy sauce base (can use leftover soy sauce chicken mixture), with shiitake mushrooms, daikon, and potatoes. Cook in a saucepan or Instant Pot.
Prep & Cook Time
- Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 40 mins (plus additional time if chilling to remove fat)
- Total: about 1 hr 10 mins
Equipment
- Instant Pot or heavy saucepan
Ingredients (serves 8)
- 1 kg large piece pork belly
- 2 cups chicken soy sauce mixture (to cover meat) — or use the homemade soy sauce mixture below
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 Tbsp Shaoxing Chinese cooking wine
- ½ cup water (to dilute sauce, if needed)
Soy Sauce Mixture (from scratch)
- 1 cup light soy sauce
- 1½ cups water
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ Tbsp Chinese five spice powder (optional)
- 1 star anise
- 1 small cinnamon stick
Thickener
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- ¼ cup water
Vegetables
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked and sliced)
- 4 medium non-baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 small daikon, peeled and cubed
Instructions
- Wash the pork belly, pat dry, tenderize the skin if desired, and cut into 1½” cubes.
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in some of the soy sauce mixture overnight, then slice in half or into 1″ slices.
- Heat oil in your saucepan or Instant Pot on sauté mode. Brown the pork cubes on all sides until fat starts to render.
- If using leftover soy sauce chicken liquid, dilute as needed and pour enough to cover the pork. Otherwise, combine the soy sauce mixture ingredients from scratch and add to the pot with ½ cup extra water and 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine.
- If using an Instant Pot, pressure cook for 15 minutes. For stovetop, braise gently for about 1 hour until the pork is tender but still holds shape.
- Cool the meat in the refrigerator so the fat congeals, then remove excess fat to your preference.
- Add the cubed potatoes, daikon, and soaked shiitake mushrooms to the pot. Pressure cook another 10–15 minutes, or simmer on the stove for 25–30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- To thicken the sauce, mix corn starch with ¼ cup cold water into a slurry. Bring the stew to a boil and stir in the slurry until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Serve hot with rice or softened mung bean noodles so the sauce can coat them.
Nutrition (per serving, approximate)
- Calories: 790 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Fat: 68 g (Saturated fat: 24 g)
- Sodium: 1803 mg
Tried this recipe? Share how it turned out or ask any questions. Small adjustments—like trimming more fat, swapping vegetables, or shortening cooking time—let you adapt the dish to your taste. Enjoy your braised soy sauce pork belly!