Pan-fried Pork Belly Slices with Honey Garlic Sauce - easy appetizer that takes only 30 minutes from start to finish! This recipe explains how to cook sliced pork belly in a frying pan until crispy and browned. No need to turn on the oven.
Many pork belly recipes require slow cooking or oven roasting the unsliced pork belly for a long time (usually at least an hour). This quick and easy recipe takes only 30 minutes, and that includes the time required to make the sauce!
In this recipe the uncooked pork belly is sliced into thick bites first, and then pan-fried in a frying pan on stove top until the texture is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Pork belly pairs exceptionally well with Asian flavors, which is why the sauce in this recipe features ingredients that are commonly used in Asian cuisine: honey, tamari sauce (or use soy sauce), garlic, and toasted sesame seeds.
Pork belly is a very fatty cut of pork, so don't be surprised at the calorie count below in the recipe box. Make sure to plan a good size side dish, since this recipe doesn't make much volume-wise, but it's surely a lot calorie-wise.
What to serve with pork belly
Because pork belly is so rich and fatty, serve it with green vegetables, such as oven-baked asparagus, roasted broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts, or sautéed spinach. Also, mushrooms are good choice, such as oyster mushrooms or regular button mushrooms.
Or, serve Asian-flavored noodles alongside the pork belly. Here are some suggestions:
- Spicy Asian Noodles with Mushrooms and Snow Peas
- Asian Pasta with Broccoli and Mushrooms
- Thai Zucchini Noodles
Pork Belly vs Bacon
Both bacon and pork belly come from the same cut of pork (pork belly). The only difference between the two is that pork belly is fresh meat, while bacon has been sliced, cured, and smoked.
Pork belly looks very much like a very thick slice of bacon, uncut:
Cook's Tips
- Slice pork belly into cube-like pieces of medium size. These pork slices don't have to be perfectly shaped as cubes. They also don't have to be small - keep in mind that cubed pork belly will reduce in size considerably, once it's cooked.
- Do not add cooking oil when cooking pork belly in the skillet - pork belly is obviously a very fatty cut and it will release its own fat.
- When pan-frying sliced pork belly, use splatter screen to prevent oil from splattering all over the kitchen.
- Start cooking sliced pork belly on high heat but watch closely: reduce heat to medium once the skillet gets too hot.
how to cook pork belly
1) Slice pork belly into small cube-like bites.
2) Add cubed pork belly to a large skillet and start frying on high heat. Do not add cooking oil.
3) Constantly move pork belly slices around the pan.
4) Pan fry sliced pork belly 5 minutes on one side, 5 minutes on the other side until nicely browned and crispy. Total cooking time should be about 10 minutes.
5) Reduce heat from high to medium as the pan gets hot.
6) There shouldn't be any burnt pieces or burnt pan on the bottom of the skillet.
7) Don't crowd the pan. Cook pork belly in 2 batches, if necessary.
8) Remove pan-fried pork belly slices from the cooking pan.
9) Remove extra fat from the pan.
10) Make the sauce by combining ¼ cup honey with 3 tablespoons of tamari sauce, and minced garlic.
11) Heat it up the sauce and cook for about 1 minute.
12) Add back pan-fried pork belly slices. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Side dishes for pork belly
Serve pork belly with green vegetables or side dishes with creamy texture:
- Mashed potatoes.
- Cauliflower "mashed potatoes" - made from cauliflower, without using actual potatoes.
- Scalloped potatoes.
- Grilled asparagus.
- Sautéed spinach.
- Roasted broccoli.
- Oven-roasted brussels sprouts.
Sliced Pork Belly with Honey Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork belly
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds , toasted
- 2 green onions , chopped
- salt , to taste
Instructions
How to cook sliced pork belly
- Slice pork belly into small cube-like pieces. Slice off extra fat, if you wish.
- Add sliced pork belly to a large pan and start frying on high heat. Do not add cooking oil.
- Constantly move pork belly slices in the beginning. Cook them for about 5 minutes on one side on high heat, then 5 minutes on the other side on high-medium heat. Use splatter screen. The total cooking time should be about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, if the pan gets too hot. The sliced pork belly should get crispy and browned.
- As you're cooking you might have to reduce heat from high to medium as the pan gets hot. There shouldn't be any burnt pieces and the pan should not get burned on the bottom (I used stainless steel pan). Don't crowd the pan. Depending on the size of your frying pan, you might have to do this in 2 batches.
- Remove pan-fried pork belly slices to a plate. Remove extra fat from the frying pan.
Honey Garlic Sauce
- Add ¼ cup honey and 3 tablespoons tamari sauce, and minced garlic.
- Heat up the sauce until it boils, reduce heat, and cook for about 1 minute stirring. Remove from heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and stir it in. Add back the sliced pork belly.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds on top. Top with chopped green onion, and serve.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I absolutely loved the recipe! I added leeks before I started making the sauce and fried them, then i made the sauce with them and it was bomb! The meat was tender instead of crunchy because i added the pork to the sauce on the pan, I simmered them for around 1-5 minutes to marry the flavours. The leeks caramelised as well.
For side dishes i recommend something fresh, such as salad or kimchi for an extra oomph.
Ellie, thank you so much for such a helpful comment on how to make this recipe a bit different - I love your changes! Kimchi as a side sounds delish!
Don’t see it mentioned if skin off or on. I presume it is off, now that I have cooked with it on.
Phillip, I am not sure what you mean by the skin off or on. But, I do have a photo of the raw piece of pork belly that I used if you scroll up - I didn't remove anything from it - just sliced it - and cooked it.
I am guessing Phillip is referring to the rind ... the part that gets all crispy when you roast 'skin on' pork cuts
When you buy pork belly sometimes you have to remove a skin layer similar to pulling skin from a rack of ribs! Recipe looks good, making tonight!
I hope you liked it!
i live in Malaysia and i don't have tamari sauce at home . Can i change it to other sauce such as soy sauce ?
You can definitely use soy sauce. Enjoy!
And was so yummy will be definitely making it again
Nicholas, I am glad you liked it!
I tried this for the first time this evening. I served it with basmati boiled rice. The taste was quite pleasing and although I prepared the pork as per your recipe it was rather tough which spoil the recipe. Any idea what I can do to make the pork softer. Should we try marinating it in the sauce prior to cooking. Many thanks from an inexperienced wanna b cook
Phil, thanks for giving this recipe a try and I am glad you liked the flavor! This is a pretty basic (and quick!) recipe, and pork belly might come out too tough for some tastes. I think if you want it softer, slow-cooking it might be the answer, but it will take longer.
Great base recipe to add to. I added chilli flakes, chopped green beans and some fish sauce and oyster sauce. Chuck noodles in at the end, top with crushed peanuts. Delicious.
Susan, I love your additions! Thank you for sharing the changes you've made!
The flavor was good but the meat was really tough. I think pork belly should be slow cooked for a long period for it to be tender. I will not make this again
Lol, tell that to all Koreans that eat it at Korean BBQ. It's not always meant to be soft. It's delicious seared and crispy as well!
This was really good. In fact, I was surprised how it turned out (I tend to overcook pork). I re-fried some of the first batch because I didn't get it crispy enough but it was dried or chewy at all. Absolutely delicious!
Susan, I am so happy the recipe was a success for you! Thank you for taking the time to share such a wonderful comment - I really appreciate it!
Yum!!! Keep a close eye while cooking in sauce pan. You don't want to overcook these little gems. Absolutely delicious!! Ate as a taco. One of my favs.
Carol, thank you for such a great comment and feedback! 🙂
Grandson approved. I silkened the pork belly by massaging it with baking soda for 5 min and rinsed well. Shredded sone cabbage and red bell peppers. Set out some eggs and scallions. They made pork bowls. Definitely going in recipe book. Thanks for sharing.
Antronette, I am so glad you tried this recipe and liked it! Love your side dishes and the way you served the pork belly! 🙂