Delicious Okinawan Pork Miso Paste - type

Method

• Cut the pork belly into 5 mm dice.
• If you want to get rid of some of the fat in advance , you can boil the block of meat before dicing it for a little while.
• Heat a frying pan and add the cubed pork belly.
• Start cooking it over medium heat until the color of the meat changes, then stir fry patiently over low heat to make the fat come out.
• Watch the heat level!
• After the pork is cooked through, keep stir frying over low or low-medium heat.
• If no fat is coming out of the meat raise the heat a bit, then lower it again when the fat starts coming out.
• The more you stir fry the meat, the more fat will come out.
• The meat will become quite hard though, so stop when you like.
• If you think there's too much fat, pat dry with paper towels.
• However, the fat does adds shine to the miso paste, so if there's too little of it, it won't taste good, so please note that.
• When there's enough fat in the pan add the miso and mix well with the meat.
• Add the sugar, sake and mirin to the pan, and mix and blend with a spatula taking care to not let it burn.
• Watch the heat level!
• Work patiently over low heat.
• The flavor changes depending on the type of miso and sugar you use.
• I used a blend of barley miso and rice miso, and dark brown sugar.
• Barley miso is rather sweet, so I recommend it if you like a sweet flavor.
• If you prefer salty miso, you may want to add more sugar.
• The paste will gradually become drier as the moisture evaporates.
• Keep stir frying and blending the paste until it's the consistency you like.
• It will harden a bit when cooled, so you can stop when it's still rather loose!
• If excess fat leeches out of the paste, you can remove it with paper towels.
• When the paste has cooled, put it into storage jars that have been sterilized in boiling water, and store in the refrigerator.
• It will keep for quite a long time.
• When it's chilled the fat may congeal and turn white, but don't worry about it.
• This recipe makes about 1 small jam jar full.
• When it's become cold and hardens in the refrigerator, take out what you need and microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to soften it.
• It will become just as shiny and soft as if it were freshly made.
• I tried making it with 100% barley miso.
• It was less salty than using blended miso, and I preferred it this way.
• So sweet-salty and delicious!
• On top of hot rice!
• I'll eat too much rice!