30-Min Crispy Pork Belly Thai-Style
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork belly
skinless, see note 1
- 1 ½ Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
see note 2
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- Frying oil
as needed
- Nam Jim Jeaw
optional dipping sauce
Directions
- 1
Pat the pork belly dry as much as possible with a paper towel, then remove the skin with a sharp knife, leaving as much of the fat on it as possible (unless you want to remove some of the fat).
- 2
Cut the pork into 1-inch wide strips, and then cut each strip into pieces about ¾-inch thick. (The pork will shrink after frying so the final pieces will be smaller).
- 3
Place the pork into a large mixing bowl and add the fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Use your hand to massage the pork and mix all the seasonings. Keep massaging for a minute or so until you no longer feel the grains of sugar, and there is no more fish sauce pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
- 4
In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and the cornstarch and mix well. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pork and mix well, making sure none of the pieces are sticking together. You want a light and even coating on all the pieces. Let it sit for 5 mins or so while you heat up the oil.
- 5
Add at least 1 inch of frying oil to a wok or a medium pot and heat it to 350°F (175°C) for the first fry.
- 6
First Fry: Add half of the pork, placing it in the hot oil one piece at a time to ensure they are not sticking together. Fry for 2 minutes (time this). Maintain the heat of the oil between 300-350°F during the frying; on my electric stove I keep it on medium high, but it will vary from stove to stove.
- 7
Remove the pork promptly and place on a plate to cool until it’s no more than lukewarm before frying them a second time. Repeat with the second batch, being sure to bring the oil temp back up to 350°F before frying.
- 8
Second Fry: Once the pork is cool, bring the oil temp up to 385°F(196°C) over high heat. Add the pork all at once and fry for 70-90 seconds, or until the exterior is a deep golden brown. You can fry them for a maximum of 2 minutes; beyond this the pork will become too dry. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Be sure to bring the temp back up to 385°F before frying the second batch.
- 9
Allow the pork to cool for a few minutes before digging in as the fatty part of the pork is VERY hot out of the fryer!!
30-Min Crispy Pork Belly Thai-Style
Similar Recipes
Ratings & Reviews
Based on 26 ratings
Rating Breakdown
About this Recipe
Craving that incredibly crispy pork belly without the usual long cooking times? This 30-minute recipe delivers restaurant-quality texture and authentic Thai-inspired flavors right to your kitchen, making it a perfect indulgence for any day of the week.
Why This Recipe Works
The secret to achieving such remarkable results in just 30 minutes lies in a smart double-frying technique combined with a skinless pork belly cut, which eliminates hours of traditional scoring and rendering. Before frying, the pork is coated in a mixture of flour and cornstarch, ensuring an unbelievably crisp exterior that shatters with every bite. The simple yet powerful marinade of fish sauce, sugar, and white pepper infuses the pork belly with a deep umami punch, making it genuinely "freakishly good" as described.
What to Expect
Prepare for a culinary experience that will utterly impress. Each piece of this 30-Min Crispy Pork Belly Thai-Style offers a delightful contrast: a shatteringly crisp, golden-brown crust that gives way to succulent, tender, and incredibly flavorful meat. The subtle sweetness from the sugar perfectly balances the savory depth of the fish sauce and the mild warmth of white pepper, creating a harmonious and utterly addictive flavor profile. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can achieve such sophisticated textures and tastes, transforming a simple ingredient into something truly extraordinary.
Customization & Variations
This recipe is a fantastic base for culinary creativity. While the optional Nam Jim Jeaw is a classic pairing, feel free to explore other dipping sauces like a sweet chili sauce, or a simple lime and soy sauce mixture to vary the "Thai-style" experience. For an extra layer of complexity, you could add a tiny pinch of garlic powder to the flour and cornstarch coating for aromatic depth. If you prefer less assertive flavors, adjust the fish sauce down slightly.
Serving & Context
This sensational crispy pork belly makes an outstanding appetizer for entertaining, or a decadent main course when served over steamed jasmine rice with some fresh greens. It’s also superb as part of a larger Thai-inspired meal, offering a perfect textural counterpoint.