Buta no kakuni translates roughly to "cubed simmered pork", and it's one of Japan's great slow-cooked comfort dishes. Thick pieces of pork belly are braised low and slow in a mix of soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar until the meat is so tender it yields to a chopstick, and the fat turns silky and almost jelly-like.
It's a dish that rewards patience rather than effort. There's a bit of trimming and simmering involved, but most of the actual work is just letting the pot bubble away gently on the stove while the kitchen fills with the smell of soy and ginger. Many home cooks in Japan make a big batch and eat it over two or three days, since the flavour only gets better with time.
Serve it simply over steamed rice with the braising liquid spooned over, a smear of hot mustard on the side, and maybe some blanched greens or a soft-boiled egg simmered in the same pot. It's rich, it's indulgent, and it's exactly the kind of low-effort, high-reward cooking worth setting aside a lazy Sunday afternoon for.
