Pork Belly and Salted Cutlassfish Roe Fried Rice
Weekend Lunch Special: Deliciously Spicy Pork Belly and Salted Cutlassfish Roe Fried Rice
Today’s recipe is a special fried rice made with salted cutlassfish roe! Salted cutlassfish roe, made by salting the fresh innards of cutlassfish, is a fantastic condiment. I first tried it at an eel restaurant, and its spicy yet subtly fishy flavor was so appealing that I bought a whole jar! It’s incredibly versatile – delicious topped on grilled meats, wrapped in kelp, or enjoyed in lettuce wraps. Following my previous pasta dish, I decided to make fried rice with it today. Since opened fermented seafood like this has a shelf life and needs to be consumed relatively quickly, and it was the weekend, I whipped up this fried rice for a satisfying lunch. The ingredients for pork belly and salted cutlassfish roe fried rice are wonderfully simple: pork belly, salted cutlassfish roe, green onions, and eggs are all you truly need. While it can be made with just salted cutlassfish roe and green onions, adding pork belly makes it more appealing to kids and adds a wonderful richness. This recipe is perfect for a quick yet hearty weekend lunch!
Ingredients
- Salted cutlassfish roe 1.5 Tbsp
- Pork belly slices 2 handfuls (approx. 150-200g)
- Green onion 1/2 stalk
- Eggs 3
- Cold cooked rice 2 bowls (approx. 400g)
- Cooking oil 2 Tbsp
- Seaweed flakes a little
- Toasted sesame seeds a little
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the green onion. Finely chop both the white and green parts to release a more robust aroma.
Step 2
Heat a deep frying pan over medium-low heat and generously add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add the chopped green onions and slowly stir-fry to create fragrant green onion-infused oil. If the green onions turn golden brown, they will impart an even deeper flavor.
Step 3
Once the green onion oil is fragrant, add the 2 handfuls of pork belly slices and begin to stir-fry. Pork belly slices are thin and cook quickly, so it’s best to cook them over medium heat rather than high heat.
Step 4
Continue to stir-fry the pork belly until it’s cooked through and has a nice golden-brown color. The rendered pork fat will add a delicious richness to the dish.
Step 5
When the pork belly is nicely cooked, add 1.5 Tbsp of salted cutlassfish roe and stir-fry together. Salted cutlassfish roe is quite salty, so it’s important to adjust the amount to your taste. It’s best to add it gradually and taste as you go.
Step 6
Stir-fry everything together, ensuring the salted cutlassfish roe and pork belly are well combined. The savory saltiness of the roe and the richness of the pork belly will create a wonderful flavor profile.
Step 7
Add 2 bowls of cold cooked rice to the pan with the stir-fried ingredients. Using cold rice helps to prevent the grains from clumping, resulting in fluffy fried rice.
Step 8
Using a spatula, gently break up the rice and stir-fry, ensuring the rice grains are evenly coated with the sauce. Keep stir-frying until the rice is well incorporated with the other ingredients.
Step 9
Once the rice is sufficiently fried, add the seaweed flakes and stir-fry again. The seaweed flakes will add a pleasant, savory depth to the fried rice.
Step 10
In another pan, or on one side of the current pan, whisk the 3 eggs and scramble them. Alternatively, you can fry the eggs sunny-side up and place them on top.
Step 11
Serve the finished fried rice attractively in a bowl. Place the scrambled eggs alongside the fried rice, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for a final touch. Your delicious and visually appealing pork belly and salted cutlassfish roe fried rice is ready!
