Rafute (Okinawan braised pork belly)

Step 1: Put 1 ¾ lb skin-on pork belly, in one piece in a pan, skin side down, over medium heat and sear the skin until golden and blistered. This helps the skin stay soft later.

Step 2: Cover the pork with 8 ¼ cups water, add 1 oz ginger and 2 leek or spring onion green tops and bring to the boil. Lower to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid ajar and cook, skimming now and then.

Step 3: Lift out the pork and leave it until cool enough to handle. Strain and keep the cooking water if you are using it instead of dashi.

Step 4: Cut the pork into thick blocks, about 5 cm square, keeping the skin, fat and meat together in each piece.

Step 5: Put the pork, skin side up, in a heavy pan where the pieces fit snugly in one layer. Add 2 cups bonito dashi, ½ cup awamori, 5 tbsp soy sauce, 1 ¾ oz dark brown sugar (ideally Okinawan kokuto) and ½ oz ginger.

Step 6: Awamori is a strong rice spirit and some of its alcohol stays in the sauce. For an alcohol-free rafute, use 100 ml more stock instead, plus 1 extra tbsp sugar.

Step 7: Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid or a circle of baking paper laid on the surface and braise over the lowest heat. Common mistake: letting the braise bubble hard; the meat tightens and goes stringy, so keep it at a bare simmer with only an odd bubble breaking the surface.

Step 8: Uncover, turn the pieces skin side up and simmer more briskly, spooning the liquid over, until it has reduced to a dark, glossy glaze and a chopstick slides through the meat with no resistance.

Step 9: Serve hot with the glaze spooned over, with 2 tsp Japanese hot mustard (karashi) and 7 oz blanched greens such as pak choi on the side. To make ahead, cool, refrigerate within 2 hours, lift off the set fat the next day and reheat gently until piping hot. It keeps for 3 days.