Japanese Pork Belly Salad

This refreshing pork belly salad has savory umami plum flavors with a crunch in every bite. It’s the perfect appetizer to start any meal and is so easy to make!

If you’re a fan of Asian food and pork belly, then this Asian inspired pork belly salad might just be the perfect dish for you.

Japanese style pork belly salad seasoned in a Japanese citrus ume dressing served in a white bowl.

What is Japanese style Pork Belly Salad?

Thinly sliced pork belly is stir fried, then mixed with cucumber, umeboshi then finished with a drizzle of ponzu dressing.  A refreshing Asian salad with pork belly slices with a little salty, a little sour, and lot of umami.

What is pork belly?

Pork belly is a boneless cut of pork from the belly of the pig.  It is one of the fattier meats of the pig and the cut that bacon is made from.

Japanese style pork belly salad seasoned in a Japanese citrus ume dressing being picked up with a pair of chopsticks.

What ingredients do I need and how do I make this Asian pork belly salad?

  • Pork Belly – thinly sliced pork belly commonly found in most Japanese and Asian supermarkets.
  • Ginger – grate ginger using a handheld grater or cheese grater.
  • Umeboshi – salted pickled plums popular in Japanese cuisine.  They are salty, tart, with an umami flavor and can be found in Japanese supermarkets and most Asian supermarkets.
  • Ponzu – a citrus flavored soy sauce found in most Japanese supermarkets.
  • Sesame Oil – use 100% toasted sesame oil found in most Asian supermarkets
  • Cucumbers – use firm, crisp, crunchy cucumbers such as Persian or Japanese cucumbers.

Stir-fry pork belly with ginger until done.  Then add chopped cucumbers sliced into bite size pieces, umeboshi, sesame oil, and ponzu.  Toss dressing mixture until well combined.

Are pork belly and bacon the same?

Pork belly is a fatty cut of meat from the pig of the belly.

Bacon is made from pork belly that’s been salt-cured.  Asian pork belly recipes usually
use uncured meat that has been sliced.

It’s the same cut of meat, just prepared in a different way.

What is the nutrition information for this recipe?

  • 243 Calories
  • 1g Carbohydrates
  • 1g Fiber
  • 24g Protein
  • 15g Fat
  • 76mg Cholesterol
  • 395mg Sodium
  • 428mg Potassium
  • 8mg Calcium
  • 1mg Iron
  • 5ui Vitamin A
  • 0mg Vitamin C

Japanese style pork belly salad seasoned in a Japanese citrus ume dressing being picked up with a pair of chopsticks.

Looking for other Asian cucumber salad side dish recipes?

Now, let’s get making this Japanese style Pork Belly Salad!

  • 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 tsp Neutral Cooking Oil
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 2 Persian/Japanese Cucumbers

Directions

1) Gather all the ingredients.

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (6)

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.

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (30)

3) De-pit umeboshi, finely dice and set aside.

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (31)

4) Grind ginger down with a grinder or a garter and set aside.

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (5)

5) Cut pork belly into 1/2 inch width pieces and set aside.

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (4)

6) In a large frying pan, add neutral cooking 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.

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (32)

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (33)

7) In a mixing bowl, combine cooked pork belly (along with all the liquids from the frying pan), sliced cucumbers, diced umeboshi, Sesame Oil, Ponzu and toss together. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy immediately!

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (34)

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (35)

Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (20)

Hope you enjoy your Japanese style Pork Belly Salad!

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More Recipes

Japanese style pork belly salad seasoned in a Japanese citrus ume dressing served in a white bowl.

Japanese Pork Belly Salad

This refreshing pork belly salad has savory umami plum flavors with a crunch in every bite. It’s the perfect appetizer to start any meal and is so easy to make!
4.50 from 8 votes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: Asian inspired pork belly, Asian pork belly, Asian salad with pork, pork belly salad
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 2
Print Recipe
Calories: 243kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb Pork Belly thinly sliced
  • 1/4 Inch Ginger
  • 2 Whole Umeboshi Japanese pickled plum
  • 1 tsp Neutral Cooking Oil
  • 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.
    Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (30)
  • De-pit umeboshi, finely dice and set aside.
    Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (31)
  • Grind ginger down with a grinder or a garter and set aside.
    Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (5)
  • Cut pork belly into 1/2 inch width pieces and set aside.
    Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (4)
  • In a large frying pan, add neutral cooking 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.
    Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (33)
  • In a mixing bowl, combine cooked pork belly (along with all the liquids from the frying pan), sliced cucumbers, diced umeboshi, Sesame Oil, Ponzu and toss together. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy immediately!
    Japanese Cucumber Pork Belly Pickled Plum Salad Recipe (20)

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
*Values Based Per Serving
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