Babi Pangang spek, lekker krokant.

Crispy Babi Pangang Pork Belly Recipe

This recipe recreates the famous Babi Pangang pork belly, just like at your local Chinese restaurant. We prepare it the traditional way, using pork belly with rind. This dish is one of the most popular Chinese takeout meals. The crispy pork belly is wonderfully sweet thanks to the Babi Pangang marinade, while the rind turns perfectly crunchy. The meat is slowly roasted in the oven.

The rich, fatty pork combines perfectly with sweet and sour sauce, Atjar Tjampoer, and rice. Many Chinese dishes have been adapted to Dutch tastes, but the flavor of Babi Pangang has remained relatively authentic.

Babi Pangang recept

Marinating the Pork Belly

Start by marinating the meat, ideally a day in advance so the flavors can develop fully. In this recipe, we marinate it for about seven hours, but longer is even better for deeper flavor.

Crispy Pork Belly

The sugar and rice wine used in the marinade give the pork its sweet taste, while drying out the rind (see instructions) ensures it becomes deliciously crispy.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg pork belly with rind (ask your butcher)

  • 1 cup coarse sea salt

  • A flat dish for marinating

  • 1 tbsp ground fennel seed

  • ½ tbsp ground black pepper

  • 1 tbsp ground coriander seed

  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

  • 60 ml Shaoxing rice wine

  • 60 ml rice wine

Babi Pangang

Indian Spice Kit from TeaSalt&Spices

Instructions:

  1. Clean the rind by scraping off any dirt until it looks pink and smooth. Rinse the meat and pat the rind dry with paper towel.

  2. Mix all the spices with the rice wine in the flat dish. Place the pork belly inside carefully, keeping the rind dry. Refrigerate and marinate for at least seven hours — the cool air helps dry the rind.

  3. Line a baking tray with foil and place a rack on top to catch the fat.

  4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and score the rind in a diamond pattern.

  5. Place the pork on the rack over foil, shaping the foil like a tray. Keep the rind uncovered and dry.

  6. Cover the rind with a 3mm layer of sea salt, making sure it’s evenly coated.

  7. Roast for 45 minutes in its own juices.

  8. Remove the salt and foil, increase the temperature to 240°C, and roast again for 30–45 minutes until the rind is crispy.

  9. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

  10. Serve with white rice and a spicy cucumber salad.

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