Rafute (Okinawan Braised Pork Belly)

About This Recipe

Rafute is the signature pork dish of Okinawa — squares of skin-on pork belly first parboiled to remove excess fat and impurities, then slow-braised for hours in a sweet-savory liquid of awamori (Okinawan rice spirit), brown sugar (kokuto), dark soy sauce, ginger, and dashi until the fat is jiggling-tender and the meat falls apart at the touch of chopsticks. Unlike Japanese mainland kakuni (Nagasaki-style braised pork), rafute uses awamori instead of sake or mirin and the distinctive Okinawan brown sugar (kokuto) made from sugarcane on the islands — giving the glaze a molasses-deep, faintly smoky sweetness found nowhere else in Japan. It is the centerpiece of Okinawan New Year (Shogatsu) feasts, ancestor-memorial offerings (Obon), and Sunday family lunches, served with white rice, pickled ginger, and a wedge of bitter melon (goya) salad.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gskin-on pork belly, in one slab
• 2spring onions, white parts only, smashed
• 1 thumbfresh ginger, sliced into coins
• 150 mlawamori (Okinawan rice spirit) or shochu (or 100 ml sake + 50 ml vodka)
• 80 gOkinawan brown sugar (kokuto), or muscovado, broken up
• 80 mldark soy sauce
• 30 mllight soy sauce
• 500 mldashi stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 tbspmirin
• 1 thumbextra fresh ginger, sliced into coins, for braise
• Japanese yellow mustard (karashi), to serve
• steamed rice and goya salad, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Parboil the pork

   Cut the pork belly into 5 cm squares. Place in a large pot with cold water to cover, smashed spring onions, and sliced ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 60 minutes. This step is crucial — it renders excess fat and removes the porky funk.

2. 2

   Drain and rinse

   Drain the pork. Discard the parboiling liquid, scallions, and ginger. Rinse the pork pieces gently under warm water to remove surface scum. Pat dry.

3. 3

   Brown lightly

   Heat a dry, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the parboiled pork squares skin-side down and brown gently for 4 minutes per side — you want light color, not deep sear (the braise will darken later).

4. 4

   Add awamori

   Pour the awamori over the pork and let it bubble vigorously for 90 seconds — the alcohol will flame off and the spirits deglaze the pot bottom. This step is what makes rafute unmistakably Okinawan.

5. 5

   Add sugar

   Sprinkle the broken kokuto over the pork. Let it melt and coat the meat, stirring gently — it will turn into a dark, molasses-like syrup in about 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Build the braise

   Pour in dashi, both soy sauces, mirin, and add the second batch of ginger coins. The liquid should come about three-quarters up the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer.

7. 7

   Slow-braise

   Place a drop-lid (otoshibuta) or parchment circle directly on the meat. Cover the pot loosely. Simmer at the gentlest possible bubble for 2 to 2.5 hours, turning the pieces every 30 minutes. The meat should be jiggling-tender, the liquid reduced and glossy.

8. 8

   Rest in liquid

   Pull off heat. Let the pork rest in the braising liquid at room temperature for 1 hour, ideally overnight in the fridge — the flavor deepens and the fat sets, making slicing easier.

9. 9

   Reheat and glaze

   When ready to serve, reheat the pork gently in the braising liquid. Lift pieces out and place skin-side up. Reduce the remaining liquid to a syrupy glaze over high heat for 3 minutes.

10. 10

    Serve

    Plate one pork square per person. Spoon glaze generously over the top — it should drape and pool. Garnish with a small dab of yellow mustard. Serve with steamed rice and goya salad.

Variations

• •

  Add 4 boiled eggs to the braise for the last 30 minutes — Okinawan tea-egg style.

• •

  Replace awamori with a mix of sake and dark rum for an even sweeter Caribbean-inflected version (popular in Naha bars).

• •

  Buta no kakuni — Nagasaki mainland version uses sake instead of awamori and lighter sugar.

Storage

Refrigerates 5 days in its braising liquid (improves daily), freezes 2 months. Reheat very gently — never boil hard or the meat tightens.

Frequently Asked Questions