Braised Pork Belly with Coca-Cola


It's funny how our taste buds change as we get older. One significant change I could see for myself was that I started to appreciate some of the food items that I used to detest, for example - oranges. That's hard to believe I know, since oranges are well-loved by most people and they're also known to be loaded with lots of vitamin C. After distancing myself from the fruit for many years, I've slowly accept the taste and it has become one of regular items that can be found in my fridge.

Daikon is another one of the food items that I used to avoid as much as I could. There is an after-taste from the cooked daikon that would really put me off. But my taste preference has changed just recently. My brother brought me to a Japanese restaurant as my birthday treat. He convinced me to try a piece of daikon from oden (A stewed dish with other ingredients like fish cake, tofu and mushroom). And I was surprised that it tasted really good because it has absorbed the flavour from the soup. So I thought, well, daikon does not taste that bad after all!

During these last few days in Singapore, I'll maximise the opportunity to load up on pork dishes before I return to the place where I'll have a pork-free diet for the next 9 months. So today, I have decided to prepare a braised pork dish which includes my new-found love - daikon, carrot and Coca-cola. The pork was so tender and flavorful that I finished a big bowl of rice during lunch!

Braised Pork Belly with Coca-cola Recipe

Ingredients:
500g pork belly (with skin removed)
1 daikon, remove skin, chop into thick slices
1 carrot, remove skin, chop into thick slices
2 stalks of spring onions, cut into long strips
8 slices of ginger
5 garlic cloves, smashed
350ml Coca-cola
1000ml water


Seasoning:
50ml light soy sauce
100ml dark soy sauce
Pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons rice wine

Method:
1) Rinse the pork belly, then cut into slices with thickness of 2cm.
2) Boil the daikon in medium heat for 20 minutes. Dish up and set aside.
3) Heat up a wok, then add two tablespoons of oil. When the oil is heated, add ginger slices, spring onion and garlic cloves. Sautee until aromatic.
4) Add in pork slices, sautee for a while and then add the seasonings.
5) Transfer the ingredients to a clay pot (You can also use a medium pot), add coca-cola and water. Cover and bring to a boil.
6) Turn the heat to low, let it simmer for 30 minutes. Then add daikon and carrots, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
7) Turn off the heat. Still with cover on, let the braised pork rest for 15 minutes.
8) Dish up and garnish with some chopped spring onions. Serve.

Comments

What a brilliant idea to use Coca-Cola! I love Daikon and stews like this! It looks delicious and comforting.
Snooky doodle said…
This is interesting I have seen recipes with coca cola and they all looked so good. This one looks amazing.
That's a beautiful dish. First recipe I see with Coca-Cola.
Y said…
That looks delicious, despite the fact it has coca-cola in it ;P
Indonesia Eats said…
Once, my uncle in law gave his secret steak recipe. He combined cola and teriyaki sauce. Now, it's not a secret recipe anymore :)
pigpigscorner said…
I love coke chicken but have never used coca-cola in other dishes. This recipe sounds really delicious!
Shelby said…
This is a great looking dish! Great photos too!
Food For Tots said…
What a creative way to use coca-cola! I luv daikon too. My cousin taught me to boil daikon with water used for washing uncooked rice. It will help to get rid of the bitter taste. ;)
Stardust said…
EAT EAT EAT! EAT with all your might while you still can! EAT! =P
Jo said…
I've been meaning to try a coca-cola cake and now have excuse to try another dish. This looks really yummy!
Rasa Malaysia said…
It seems to be a trend to add Coke, Coffee, etc. into cooking. When I was home in Penang, I tried Coffee pork ribs and it was really not good. But I heard Coke is supposed to make the meat tender.
Babe_KL said…
i've tried coke to cook my chicken wings but i find it a tad sweet but yours turned out looking great
Noob Cook said…
how interesting to see coca cola in your recipe, it looks really yummy =)
Edith said…
wow just thinking about coke frosting and now this. mmmm... yours looks delicious. Time to get a bottle.
rokh said…
interesting twist to yummy braised pork!
Anonymous said…
i made this today! its yummy! just one question though, why do we need to cook the daikon seperately first? =b

thanks for the recipe!
daphne said…
ooo.. I'm not sure if I can stand not hving pork for some time! But using coke in cooking... hmm.. i guess it will creat the caramelize flavour?
Venus ~ Vi said…
This is nothing short of deliciousness! Btw, I cook chicken wings with coca-cola too =)
charlene said…
Wow - cola and pork. The adventure never stops.
What an intriguing dish: definitely a great use for Coca-Cola!
redduck51 said…
It looked delicious in the photo so I tried it. Iam sure I followed the recipe to the letter.I was disappointed in the results.It tasted just like a stew.There was no flavour hit at all. I would not write home about this one