Butadon pork bowls are an easy way to bring a humble, homey Japanese meal to your table. Thin-sliced pork belly is simmered in a savory and mildly sweet liquid and served over hot steamed rice for a bowl full of flavor and comfort. Top it with some pickled ginger and red pepper mix for extra layers of flavor, and serve it with a bowl of miso soup for a complete meal. These pork bowls are simple, satisfying, and comforting, and should definitely be part of your weekly meal rotation!
Butadon literally means pork bowl, and this recipe was inspired by my Japanese Gyudon Beef Bowl recipe. This is one of those meals that comes together really quickly and is perfect for any night of the week. It's hearty, comforting, and delicious and is easy to make in quantity, too.
Ingredients
- Thinly sliced pork belly
- Onion
- Water
- Dashi granules
- Japanese soy sauce
- Mirin
- Honey
- Hot cooked rice
Instructions
In a medium sized pot, add the water, dashi granules, Japanese soy sauce, mirin, and honey. Stir well to dissolve the dashi granules and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the pork belly to the pot, using chopsticks or a spoon to loosen the meat and prevent the slices from sticking together.
Reduce the heat to low-medium and cover the pot with a lid, leaving a slight gap. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and increase the heat to medium.
Add the onion chunks to the pot and stir to submerge in the braising liquid.
Cook for another 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly and the onions are soft. Use tongs to pile the pork and onions over hot rice, adding a bit of the braising liquid over the meat and rice.
Serving Variations
The pork and onions piled onto hot steamed rice is delicious as it is, but you can add some extra touches to add more flavor layers and texture to your butadon pork bowl:
- Spice - Shichimi Togarashi red pepper seasoning adds a bit of heat that complements the savory meat.
- Pickled ginger - add this for some crunch and for a sweet and sour layer of flavor.
- Chopped green onions - you can never go wrong with some chopped green onions for a "fresh" taste.
- Extra umami - Furikake seasoning adds some texture and boosts the savory taste.
- Crunch - Fried shallots add some crispy crunch to the tender pork and rice.
- Soy sauce egg - the added touch of protein from a jammy soy sauce egg would make the butadon extra delicious!
- Thicker sauce - Mix 1 teaspoon of tapioca starch or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the pot and heat through before serving.
Top tips:
- For melt-in-your-mouth tender pork that is really flavor-infused from the sauce, it's important to let it simmer for the time specified. The pork will obviously cook very quickly because it is so thin, but it will be a bit tougher and it won't have the same taste if you eat it right away.
- Make sure to serve the pork over Japanese short-grain rice. The stickiness/clumpiness of the rice makes for more satisfying mouthfuls with the pork than a looser long-grain rice.
Substitutions
- Dashi granules - substitute with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
- Japanese soy sauce - Chinese light soy sauce, or tamari if you are gluten-free.
- Mirin - sake or sweetened rice vinegar.
- Honey - granulated sugar.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Are you looking for other simple and delicious rice recipes? Give these a try!
Butadon pork bowls also make great leftovers! It's so easy to reheat in the microwave for a meal the next day, and is also great for packed lunches! Be sure to save the sauce and heat before adding some to your leftover butadon!
If you're looking for a simple and delicious way to bring a taste of Japan to your table, you have to make these butadon pork bowls! One spoonful of the flavorful pork and rice and you will wonder why you haven't made these sooner!
~ Lisa.
Japanese Butadon Pork Bowls
Ingredients
- 500 grams thinly sliced pork belly
- ½ medium onion, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon dashi broth granules
- 2 cups water
- ⅓ cup Japanese soy sauce
- ⅓ cup mirin
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- Cooked rice for serving with the pork
Optional garnishes:
- Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese mixed chili pepper seasoning)
- Pickled ginger
- Chopped green onions
- Furikake seasoning
- Fried shallots
Instructions
- Cut pork belly strips into bite-sized pieces, about 2-3 inches in length.
- In medium pot over medium-high heat, add the water, dashi granules, tamari, mirin, and honey. Stir to dissolve the dashi granules and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the pork belly to the pot, stirring to separate meat slices. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Cover pot with lid, leaving a slight gap and reduce heat to a low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir in the onions. Increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for another 15 minutes until the onions have softened and the sauce has reduced slightly.
- Serve the pork over hot rice, spooning some of the braising liquid over the meat.
- Garnish with chopped green onions, Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese pepper mix) and pickled ginger, if desired.
Notes
- If you do not have dashi granules, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
- Tamari can be used in place of the Japanese soy sauce if you are gluten-free.
- Chinese light soy sauce does not taste the same as Japanese soy sauce, but it can be used as a substitute, if necessary.
- If you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, mix 1 teaspoon of tapioca starch or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the pot and heat through before serving.
**This recipe was originally published on May 6th, 2018 and republished June 5th, 2024 with an updated recipe, new writing, and new photos.
Lynn
This is one of the most delicious things I have ever cooked. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Lynn! I'm so glad you liked it!
Maggie
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was a delicious ! Super easy to make. Topped it with an “onsen” egg. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Maggie! Thanks so much for making it and topping it with an onsen egg sounds perfect!
Heidi
Hi Lisa, any alternative in place of dashi to cook this dish..? Have all ingredients except dashi 😩
Thanks for your question, Heidi. Dashi is a tough ingredient to substitute, but the closest thing I can think of is to use fish sauce. Soy sauce could also be a substitute, but there is already soy sauce in the recipe, so I don't know if adding another tablespoon would make that much of a difference. Let me know what you end up doing and how it turns out!
C. Chow
actually i used half a cube of chicken stock thinking it wouldn't work (no 'fishiness' flavour) but hey it turned out so good! I found the sauce a bit bland for my liking so I added a tablespoon of terriyaki sauce to boost the flavour. It was sooooo good!
Glad you liked it!
Rina
Is there a reason you use honey instead of sake and sugar other similar recipes call for? Is it to make it healthier? Or does it give a better flavor? Just wondering. Looking forward to making this recipe soon. Thanks!
Thanks for the question, Rina! I use honey because I try to avoid cooking with refined white sugar whenever possible. Another reason is that many people already have honey in their cupboards, so this dish is easy to put together without having to buy unfamiliar ingredients. I hope you like the dish!
Nancy
I find it ironic that you suggest staying away from dashi with high amounts of salt and MSG, yet the example you use has salt in the first ingredient a swell as MSG (Yeast extract) 😂
I actually did not realize yeast extract is also known as MSG, and I have updated my notes. I appreciate the lesson, Nancy! Thanks!
Andrew Daniels
Good recipe, but ingredients list is missing some of the key flavours!: green onions and shichimi togarashi - I'm sure that's what you meant by pepper mix. We can figure it out tho! Great job!
Shame this site can only display imperial measurements, rather than a logical system based on base 10 (metric)
Thanks for your comment, Andrew. I did, indeed, forget to include the garnishes that I often I use myself when I eat this! I have updated the ingredient list to include them!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
That thinly sliced pork belly looks delicious Lisa! What a great recipe! My hubby does most of the dishes too, so he appreciates one-dish meals as well!
Kim @ The Puffy Biscuit
I love a one pot meal, too! I have never heard of this before but it sounds (and looks!) amazing. It would be perfect for busy weeknights.
Yes, it is a great simple meal on weeknights...no fussing and very satisfying!
Colleen
Lisa, I'm loving your recipes! We've visited a few places in different parts of Asia, and love all of the various foods and cultural dishes, but the food is always in a restaurant. I love that you're in your kitchen showing me delicious one pan, easy meals in Hong Kong! Thank you ♥
CannacatNyuu
How thick should I ask my butcher to cut the pork belly?
Ask the butcher to slice the pork belly as thin as he can without it falling apart. Cutting as thin as bacon might be a good reference. Hope that helps!
Michael
Is this supposed to be Tablespoons (Tbsp) or teaspoons (tsp) of dashi? Thanks!
Thanks for the question, Michael! It is supposed to be tablespoons for the dashi. I have edited the recipe to make that more clear.