This Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad recipe was born from one of those late-night snack urges.
After putting the kids to sleep, we were hungry so we ventured off to the kitchen and peeked inside the fridge to see what we could make. All that was there was some pork belly and Japanese cucumber.
Now, although this sounds like a very odd combination, but something about the pork fat and the crispiness of the cucumbers pairs extremely well together!
I remember long ago, I ate an appetizer at a restaurant that used a similar combination and it was really good!
So using that flavor profile as the starting point, we started throwing some stuff together and created this Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad dish!
It’s simple yet offers a massive amount of umami flavor that’s guaranteed to blow your socks off! It makes for a great side dish, especially if you’re looking for some vegetables to pair with your meal!
Cucumbers are high in nutrients, a great source of hydration and loaded with antioxidants, and most importantly, provides that texture to make the salad pop! So next time you’re in the mood to mix up your salad game, definitely give this one a try!!
Now, let’s get making this Japanese style Pork Belly Salad recipe!
- Prepping Time 5M
- Cooking Time 3M
- Total Time 10M
- Net Carb/Serv ~2g
- Serving 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Thinly Sliced Pork Belly
- 1/4 Inch of Ginger
- 2 Umeboshi
- 2 tbsp Ponzu
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Persian/Japanese Cucumbers
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) With a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the cucumbers every other stroke. Slice cucumber into 1/4 inch thick pieces and set aside.
3) De-pit umeboshi, finely dice and set aside.
4) Grind ginger down with a grinder or a garter and set aside.
5) Cut pork belly into 1/2 inch width pieces and set aside.
6) In a large frying pan, add Sesame Oil and bring up to temperature over medium heat. Once oil starts to lightly smoke, carefully add pork belly followed by grated ginger. Mix well and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes.
7) In a mixing bowl, combine cooked pork belly (along with all the liquids from the frying pan), diced umeboshi and Ponzu. Mix in the chopped cucumbers and transfer to serving bowl. Enjoy immediately!
Hope you enjoy your Japanese style Pork Belly Salad!
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Japanese Pork Belly Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Pork Belly thinly sliced
- 1/4 Inch Ginger
- 2 Whole Umeboshi Japanese pickled plum
- 2 tbsp Ponzu
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Whole Cucumbers Persian/Japanese
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- With a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the cucumbers every other stroke. Slice cucumber into 1/4 inch thick pieces and set aside.
- De-pit umeboshi, finely dice and set aside.
- Grind ginger down with a grinder or a garter and set aside.
- Cut pork belly into 1/2 inch width pieces and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, add Sesame Oil and bring up to temperature over medium heat. Once oil starts to lightly smoke, carefully add pork belly followed by grated ginger. Mix well and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cooked pork belly (along with all the liquids from the frying pan), diced umeboshi and Ponzu. Mix in the chopped cucumbers and transfer to serving bowl. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Nutrition
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