Chinese-Style Fried Pork Belly with Napa Cabbage Recipe
A simple, homestyle dish: thin slices of pork belly stir-fried with napa cabbage in an aromatic soy-garlic sauce. In Chinese homes, quick dishes with pork belly and vegetables like this are everyday fare – a bit like our pork belly with cabbage, just lighter and more fragrant. Perfect with a bowl of rice for a quick lunch or dinner.
This dish combines the richness of pork belly with the lightness and crunch of napa cabbage, all tied together with a simple yet deeply aromatic soy-garlic-ginger sauce. It’s quick to make, uses everyday ingredients, and brings a distinctly Chinese homestyle flavor to the table without complicated techniques.
Chef's tips
Slice the pork belly as thinly as you can so it browns quickly and renders enough fat for frying. Don’t overcrowd the pan – if needed, brown the meat in two batches so it crisps instead of stewing. Keep the heat fairly high when stir-frying the cabbage so it stays slightly crunchy and doesn’t release too much water.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls over a bed of hot jasmine rice, spooning extra sauce over the rice. Add a simple side of lightly salted cucumber or a quick Asian-style salad with rice vinegar for freshness. For a more filling meal, pair it with a clear soup or miso soup as a starter.
Ingredients
- raw pork belly without skin sliced into thin strips - 300 g
- napa cabbage half a medium head - 400 g
- onion small - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 cloves
- fresh ginger piece about 2 cm - 10 g
- light soy sauce - 2.5 tablespoons
- dark soy sauce for color, can be omitted - 1 tablespoon
- rice vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- chili flakes or fresh chili pepper to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- oil optional, if the pork belly is very lean - 1 tablespoon
- water for the sauce - 50 ml
- chives or spring onion greens chopped, for sprinkling - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Wash the napa cabbage. Cut the white, firmer parts into strips about 1.5 cm wide, and the green leaves into wider pieces. Peel the onion and slice it into thin wedges.
- Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Peel the ginger with a teaspoon and cut it into thin matchsticks or chop it finely.
- In a small bowl, mix the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, and water. Set the sauce aside.
- Heat the pork belly in a large frying pan or wok. If the pork belly is very lean, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Fry over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until the slices are browned and some of the fat has rendered out.
- Add the onion to the pork belly and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent (it should be soft and slightly see-through, but not brown).
- Add the garlic and ginger. Fry for about 30–40 seconds, stirring, until they become very fragrant.
- First add the white, firmer parts of the napa cabbage. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes over fairly high heat, stirring, until they soften slightly.
- Add the green cabbage leaves and pour in the prepared sauce from the bowl. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the leaves wilt and the sauce thickens slightly and coats all the ingredients.
- Taste and, if needed, season with a little more soy sauce or a pinch of sugar. Sprinkle with chopped chives or spring onion greens and serve immediately with hot rice.
Storage
Przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku. Podgrzewaj na patelni na małym ogniu, w razie potrzeby dodając 2–3 łyżki wody. Po rozmrożeniu nie zamrażaj ponownie.
