Pork Belly Fried Rice

Tired of regular fried rice, try this Pork Belly Fried Rice, highlighted by crispy pork belly, crunchy peppers and eggs.

Once the pork belly is well seared, it creates great flavors that can combine very well with scrambled eggs. Add a little green pepper to improve the color and taste. Then we simply season it with soy sauce, salt, pepper and a small amount of sesame oil. This is it, a different but delicious pork fried rice.

I love fried rice types because it's a great way to deal with leftover rice. Diced pork belly provides crunchy morsels of flavorful meat, while fresh peppers and scallions add color and crunch. Every bite is full of aromatic and savory taste.

As a lover of pork belly, I'm looking for new ways to prepare it, whether by turning it into something delicious or combining it with other ingredients.

Pork belly has lovely names in Chinese: 五花肉, 三线肉 or marbled meat. It comes from the pig's stomach and is made up of three layers of which two are lean meat and three are fatty meat. So it has an excellent ratio of lean to fat meat.

If you love simple but quick pork belly recipes, you can check out my Stir-Fried Pork Belly that only requires boiling and pan-frying, or this Red Braised Pork Belly that involves traditional Chinese red braising. Sui Yuk is a crispy roasted pork belly from Cantonese cuisine.

With the crispy pork belly cubes, it's a little different

It differs from classic fried rice because I include crispy pork belly.

In this recipe I use green pepper. You can replace it with other vegetables like broccoli, mustard greens, and even bok choy. Adding vegetables not only makes the color more appealing but also helps balance the oily taste.

The chef's advice

• Remove excess oil when the pork belly is cured and releases a lot of oil.
• If you want a darker version, add 2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce.
• Use day-old stale rice: Using refrigerated rice overnight helps achieve the best fried rice texture. Long grain jasmine rice or basmati rice are the two best options.
• Cut small pork belly: Cut the pork into 1/2-inch cubes so that it crisps up and mixes evenly with the rice.
• Keep moving it in the wok: Stirring and stirring constantly helps maintain consistency and prevent burning.

ingredients

• Bacon – Pork belly provides tender, fatty meat that crisps up and gives the rice a rich, savory flavor. Choose well-marbled strips with a good balance of fat and lean meat.
• Peppers or mildly spicy pepper – Fresh, crunchy peppers add color, texture and a subtle sweetness to balance the pork belly.
• Egg– the eggs help add a nice green color and enhance the flavors. But you can also make it without eggs.
• Green onions – Green onions add a bright, fresh flavor to the onion. I separated the spring onion into a white part and a green part. The white part is sautéed in a pan with garlic while the green part is used as a final garnish.
• Cooked rice – Day-old fresh rice becomes light and fluffy. Jasmine or basmati rice works best.
• I'm willow – Soy sauce adds the umami richness and classic flavor of Chinese food. I mix in a small amount of dark soy sauce to keep it slightly colored. But this is not as dark as soy sauce fried rice.
• sesame oil – A touch of sesame oil provides depth and nutty aroma.
• Salt and white pepper – Seasonings enhance the overall flavor of the dish.

Step by step instructions

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients, cut the pork belly and green pepper. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Step 2: Brown the pork belly.

Add a small amount of oil and place the pork belly. This process may take several minutes. Be patient, because we want to make the pork belly crispy and less oily.
Step 3: Cook the egg

Once the pork belly is evenly browned, transfer it to half the wok, then add the egg. Use the scoop to break the eggs. And then add shallots and ginger to fry until aromatic.

Step 4: Add rice

Break up any large lumps with a spatula or spoon. Mix and fry for 2 minutes, letting the rice heat up.

Step 5: Season it

Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and white pepper. Mix well and serve hot. Now we get this aromatic, crispy, pork belly-filled fried rice. If you want to try something new, this is a must try.

What to serve with it

Even if we pour the extra oil from the pork belly, it contains oily content. So we recommend serving it with pickles or salad.

I usually love pairing it with a delicious cucumber salad and pairing it with a delicious chilli oil.

Fried rice lovers, you can also check out the following fried rice recipes

1. Rice with fried egg
2. Golden fried rice
3. Yang Chou Fried Rice
4. Minced Pork Fried Rice

Frequent questions

Can I use freshly cooked rice?

It's best to use day-old rice that has been refrigerated overnight. Starches crystallize preventing mush. Freshly cooked rice runs the risk of becoming soggy in the wok.

Do I need to marinate the pork belly first?

No, you don't need to marinate the pork belly.

Can I use brown rice instead of white?

You can, but brown rice tends to be drier. Be sure to use very tender brown rice and add a little more oil when cooking to prevent it from drying out. White jasmine or basmati rice is still recommended for the best texture.