# I Asked 4 Asian Chefs How they Cook Pork Belly! Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JagXkem9A-w Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/JagXkem9A-w Generated: 2025-12-02T23:04:59.201+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Four Asian chefs from South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia demonstrate their unique regional techniques for preparing pork belly, resulting in four distinct dishes: Korean Bossam, Filipino Lechon, Taiwanese Hongshaorou, and Malaysian Mui Choy Kau Yuk. **Key Points:** - Chef William Lee (South Korea) prepared Bossam by brining pork belly for 12-18 hours, boiling it for 20 minutes, and then slow-braising it for 1-1.5 hours, serving it with accompaniments like Ssamjang and Moo-kimchi. - Chef Javier Fernandez (Philippines) demonstrated how to make rolled Filipino Lechon, involving scoring, seasoning, stuffing with aromatics (green onion, lemongrass), rolling, tying, air-drying overnight, and roasting at 300°F (148°C) before finishing at 450°F (232°C) to crisp the skin. - Chef Kevin Hsieh (Taiwan) prepared Hongshaorou (Red Braised Pork Belly) by first cutting pre-boiled pork belly into 1.5cm squares, searing them, braising them with a sauce base made from gelatinous liquid, soy sauce, rock sugar, and spices, and finally adding mustard seed and scallions. - Chef Kyo Peng (Malaysia) prepared Mui Choy Kau Yuk, which involves braising pork belly with fermented soybean paste (doenjang/gochujang), then mixing the resulting pork and mustard greens into a final serving. - The Lechon preparation emphasized meticulous drying of the skin (razoring, scoring, air-drying) to ensure a crispy final texture. - The Bossam preparation involved making several condiments from scratch, including Moo-kimchi (daikon kimchi) and Saeujeot-jang (salted shrimp paste), to complement the tender poached pork belly. - The Hongshaorou process utilized an Instant Pot for braising after searing the pork cubes. ![Screenshot at 00:04: The video introduces the four chefs and the central theme: how chefs from four different Asian countries cook pork belly, contrasting Filipino Lechon \(roasting\) with other braised or poached styles.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JagXkem9A-w/00-00-04.png) **Context:** This video features four Asian chefs—William Lee (South Korea), Javier Fernandez (Philippines), Kevin Hsieh (Taiwan), and Kyo Peng (Malaysia)—who each showcase their distinct method for cooking pork belly, reflecting the culinary traditions of their respective countries. The video transitions between the different chefs demonstrating their unique recipes, highlighting preparation techniques ranging from slow roasting Lechon to braising for Bossam and Hongshaorou. ## Detailed Analysis The video compares and contrasts four different Asian pork belly preparations demonstrated by four chefs. Chef William Lee (South Korea) cooks traditional Bossam by boiling the pork belly first, then simmering it in a brine containing doenjang (fermented soybean paste), aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger), and seasonings for 1 to 1.5 hours, resulting in fork-tender meat. He also prepares Moo-kimchi (daikon kimchi) and Saeujeot-jang (salted shrimp paste) as accompaniments. Chef Javier Fernandez (Philippines) prepares rolled Lechon, meticulously preparing the skin by scoring and drying it overnight, stuffing it with aromatics like lemongrass and green onion, then roasting it low and slow (300°F for 3-4 hours) before crisping the skin at 450°F. Chef Kevin Hsieh (Taiwan) prepares Hongshaorou, first boiling pork belly slabs for 20 minutes, cutting them into 1.5cm cubes, searing them, and then braising them in a flavorful sauce made from the gelatinous poaching liquid, soy sauce, rock sugar, and spices until deeply colored. Finally, Chef Kyo Peng (Malaysia) prepares Mui Choy Kau Yuk, involving boiling the pork belly, cutting it into chunks, frying it, and then stewing it with preserved mustard greens (Mui Choy). The techniques emphasize achieving contrasting textures, from the crispy skin of the Lechon to the tender, fatty meat of the braised dishes. ### Filipino Lechon (Javier Fernandez) - Initial preparation involves cleaning the pork belly, removing bones (07:57), scoring the skin (00:16), preparing the stuffing with spices, pineapple, aromatics (01:51), rolling and tying the belly (02:48), air-drying overnight (03:45), roasting low at 300°F (148°C) for 3-4 hours (04:13), and crisping the skin at 450°F (232°C) in the final hour (04:25). ### Korean Bossam (William Lee) - Steps include creating a brine with brown sugar, peppercorns, garlic, salt, onions, and ginger (12:10), adding the pork to the cool brine (12:34), chilling for 12-18 hours (12:37), boiling the pork for 10-15 minutes (07:30), and then simmering it in the brine for 1-1.5 hours until fork-tender (13:37). Garnishes include Ssamjang (fermented soybean paste) (14:43), Moo-kimchi (daikon kimchi) (16:19), and Saeujeot-jang (salted shrimp paste) (15:14). ### Taiwanese Hongshaorou (Kevin Hsieh) - Pork belly is boiled (07:14), cut into 1.5cm squares (09:19), seared (10:05), and then simmered/braised in a dark sauce made from gelatinous liquid, soy sauce, rock sugar, and spices (08:24). ### Malaysian Mui Choy Kau Yuk (Chef Kyo) - Pork belly is boiled (19:51), cut into 1-inch chunks (20:09), seared until browned (21:02), then mixed with pre-cooked and washed mustard greens (21:11), and finally cooked down (21:36). ![Screenshot at 00:00: Chefs Javier Fernandez \(right\) and another individual preparing to cook pork belly, visible on the counter.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JagXkem9A-w/00-00-00.png) ![Screenshot at 01:00: Chef Javier Fernandez scores the pork belly skin and rubs it with house seasoning as part of the Lechon preparation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JagXkem9A-w/00-01-00.png) ![Screenshot at 04:48: The rolled Lechon is removed from the oven after roasting, showing a perfectly browned, segmented skin.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JagXkem9A-w/00-04-48.png) ![Screenshot at 12:12: Chef William Lee measures brown sugar on a scale for the Bossam brine, alongside peppercorns and garlic.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JagXkem9A-w/00-12-12.png) ![Screenshot at 19:23: Chef Kyo Peng cleans the boiled pork belly and prepares to cut out the bones before slicing.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JagXkem9A-w/00-19-23.png)