【Stubborn snack】Triggered by my wife's remark, my husband-made "authentic char siu (pork belly stew style)" is surprisingly delicious.

The husband, who was told by his overwhelmed wife to "make your own snacks," decided to cook seriously. When he actually tried it, he found that by simply throwing everything into a steam cooking bag and microwaving it, he could create restaurant-level tender meat char siu!

"I was told, 'Make your own snacks,' and I honestly decided to do just that

*The photo is for illustration purposes only

On weekdays, I hold back on evening drinks, so my enjoyment is 'evening drinks on the weekend.' One day, as usual, I asked my wife, 'Do you have any simple snacks?' To which she replied with a cold glance, 'If that's the case, then why don't you make it yourself?'

A sense of loneliness, as if I had been pushed away. At the same time, a mysterious competitive spirit ignited within me, and I decided to try making a classic izakaya dish, 'Authentic Chashu (Braised Pork Belly-style).' My first attempt at making chashu, driven by male pride. This is the full record of the experience.

Classic izakaya dish 'Authentic Chashu (Braised Pork Belly-style)' recipe and how to make it

rummaging through the fridge, I discovered a nice piece of pork belly! Here are the ingredients I used this time."

【Ingredients】
Pork belly block meat 350g
Oyster sauce 1 tablespoon
Garlic tube 1 teaspoon
Ginger tube 1 teaspoon
Maple syrup 2 tablespoons
Soy sauce 1 and 1/2 tablespoons

【Instructions】

1. Prepare the meat. Poke several holes with a fork

Poke all sides of the block meat, including the top, bottom, and sides evenly. Not just the surface,but deep into the base of the fork's tines to allow the flavor to dramatically penetrate throughout.

Product name / Convenient steam cooking bag for microwave, Large, 8 pieces
Price / 298 yen

2. Summon the steam cooking bag

Anyway, I want to make delicious chashu quickly, and to achieve that, I decided to use a steam cooking bag. To avoid letting my wife, who frequently uses time-saving items, notice, I will secretly use one bag.

3. Put the seasonings and meat in the bag and microwave

Once I have the steam cooking bag, it's my pace! After putting the seasonings and block meat in the steam cooking bag and sealing the zipper tightly, I will start microwaving for 6 minutes and 30 seconds at 600W.

10 minutes of residual heat to steam thoroughly into the finished product. Just looking at the picture is making my mouth water…

4. Complete the cooking with residual heat

Even if the microwave beeps "ding!", there's no need to panic. The key is to let the meat steam in the steam bag with the residual heat. Since the steam bag is high in temperature, to prevent burns, let it sit for about 10 minutes while it steams and wait for it to cool down slightly.

A genuine meal born from the husband's competitive spirit against his wife

To accompany the chashu, there’s prosciutto and cheese, spicy takana, and a super cold beer!

The moment you open the steam bag, the sweet and spicy aroma of soy sauce and garlic spreads, and the glossy chashu whets the appetite. It's hard to believe it was completed just with the microwave and residual heat, the juiciness and tenderness are exquisite!

The moment it reached my mouth, I was greeted by the "melty and flaky" texture! The overwhelming softness that gently unravels the fibers like when it’s slowly simmered made me think, "Did I really make this?" in a whirlwind of emotion.

There is absolutely no "dryness" or "toughness," which is often found in microwave cooking. Thanks to the high-temperature steam and appropriate pressure trapped inside the cooking bag, as well as the calculated "residual heat," I can see that not a single drop of juice has escaped and is firmly contained within.

I can make it according to my own preferences! I might get hooked on it as a snack! ♡

The "homemade char siu" was born from a comment from my wife and my own stubbornness. Personally, it turned out to be a great success. I also realized that by making it myself, I get the best entertainment of being able to "season it to my liking" and "snack on it while drinking" , making “snack making” potentially addictive. I recommend this as one of the weekend pastimes.

Coverage and text by MADURO writer, the husband of Hara

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