Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, this Crispy Pork Belly Fried Rice is jam-packed with flavour ( and vegetables!) and is ready in just 25 minutes!
If you are looking for a Chinese take-away style dish that you can re-create at home for a fraction of the price you have come to the right place!
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We love a fried rice dish in our house as they are a great way to use up what’s in the fridge. That’s how my Hot Dog Fried Rice & this pork belly fried rice came about!
The combination of the tender, juicy pork belly, fresh vegetables, and fluffy rice in this dish creates a family dinner in a bowl that is delicious!
You can either use leftover cooked rice or microwave rice, both work well, just don’t use freshly cooked rice as I’ve tried it & it turns mushy when cooked in the pan!
🥘 Ingredients You Need & Notes
Here is a brief overview of the main ingredients needed to make pork belly fried rice. For the full list, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
To find out how to make it allergy-friendly, simply keep scrolling to the section below this one.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Pork Belly - I would recommend buying pork belly strips, (use any leftovers to make these slow cooker pork belly slices) then you just need to chop the slices into chunks. Although pork belly is the main part of the dish, if you prefer a leaner meat you can use pork loin instead.
- Rice - Leftover cooked and cooled rice is best, as it has less moisture than freshly cooked hot rice, so the rice stays firm in the pan when cooking and doesn’t go mushy. A good substitute is microwave rice. Its already been cooked, so doesn’t go as soft as freshly cooked r. Jasmine, basmati or long grain rice all work well.
- Eggs - The classic addition to fried rice.
- Garlic- You can use 3 teaspoon of garlic paste if you don’t have any fresh garlic cloves.
- Vegetables - I have used peas, red pepper, red chilli & spring onion. The peas can be tossed into the pan whilst frozen, there is no need to defrost them before cooking. You can swap out the vegetables and use whatever you have in at home. Babycorn, asparagus and carrots are good alternatives.
- Soy Sauce / Coconut Aminos - Coconut aminos is a dark sauce similar in taste to soy sauce but is made with coconut and is gluten-free. If you don’t have any allergy requirements, just use standard soy sauce.
- Honey - This adds a touch of sweetness to the dish and is used in the sauce.
- Sesame Oil: Brings a slight nutty taste.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients & quantities.
🥜How Can I Make This Allergy-Friendly?
- ✔️ Make It Egg-Free: Use silken tofu instead of egg as I’ve done in this “no egg” fried rice. Check out these 17 recipes with silken tofu to use up any leftovers.
- ✔️ Make It Soy-Free: Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Coconut aminos is both soy-free and gluten-free.
- ✔️ Make It Gluten-Free: Use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce which has a similar flavour.
- ✔️ Make It Sesame-Free: Use olive oil or another neutral flavoured oil instead.
✏️ How To Make Pork Belly Fried Rice
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: To prepare the pork belly, first, cut it into bite-sized chunks and place them in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle Chinese 5 spice, salt, and black pepper over the pork belly, then toss until everything is evenly combined.
Step 2: Next, heat a wok over a medium heat. Once hot, add the seasoned pork belly and stir-fry until golden brown and crispy, which should take about 8-10 minutes. When the pork belly is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the wok and set it aside on a plate.
Step 3: While the pork belly is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Finely chop the red pepper, garlic, and half of the chilli, then slice the spring onion and the other half of the chilli.
Step 4: Once the pork belly is removed from the wok, drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan, then add the red pepper, garlic, the green parts of the spring onion & the finely chopped chilli. (Save the other half of the chilli and spring onion for garnish later)
Stir-fry them for 4-5 minutes, until they have softened and are slightly caramelised.
Step 5: In a small bowl, mix together the honey, sesame oil, and coconut aminos or soy sauce to make the sauce.
Step 6: Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the beaten eggs to the other side. Scramble the eggs until they are cooked through, then slice them into strips or small pieces with a spatula.
Step 7: Add the cooked or microwaved rice to the pan, along with the pork belly and sauce. Stir-fry everything for 5 minutes, until the rice is heated through and everything is well combined.
Step 8: Finally, garnish the fried rice with chopped green onions and red chilli, before serving straight away.
💡 Lauren's Top Tips
- 🌟 Make It Milder: If you are cooking for the kids or want to make the dish a little milder, scrape out the seeds from the chilli with a teaspoon before finely chopping or just use half the amount.
- 🌟 Use Cooked Rice: Freshly cooked rice can be too sticky and will turn mushy in the pan. Chilled, leftover rice or microwave rice fries up better as it has a firmer texture.
- 🌟 Eggs: Although I have scrambled the eggs directly in the pan, an alternative method is to crack them into a separate bowl, beat them, and then pour the beaten eggs into the pan.
- 🌟 If Using Pork Loin: If you decide to use pork loin instead of pork belly, it's important to note that you'll need to add some oil to the pan when cooking the meat. This is because pork loin has a lower fat content compared to pork belly, and the additional oil will help prevent the meat from sticking to the pan and ensure that it's evenly cooked.
🔨 Meal Planning Toolbox
🗒️ Make Ahead
You can prep all the veggies ahead of time, storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to start cooking. The pork belly chunks can also be cooked in advance, cooled and transferred to the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
🗒️ Batch Cook/Leftovers/Storage
For food safety reasons, this dish is best eaten fresh and isn't suitable for storing or reheating, as NHS guidelines advise against reheating cooked rice more than once.
🗒️ Freezing
I don’t recommend freezing this dish due to the same reasons above.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Fried rice works so much better with cooked, cooled rice as the grains are much firmer. If you’re going to use freshly cooked rice, spread it out on a tray and let it cool for 10-15 minutes to release excess steam. Ideally, pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up.
If you're short on time, you can also run it under cold water, drain well, and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. This helps prevent it from turning mushy when stir-fried!
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If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Pork Belly Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pork
- 280 g (10 oz) pork belly slices
- 2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the rice
- 500 g (1.1lb) cooked, leftover rice or 2 x packets of microwave basmati rice
- 2 mediurm eggs can be substituted for tofu scramble (see main post)
- 1 medium red pepper finely diced
- 140 g (5oz) frozen peas
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 medium red chilli half sliced and half finely chopped
- 2 spring onions sliced
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil can be substituted for olive oil.
- 4 tablespoon coconut aminos or tamari Use regular soy sauce if you don't need recipe to be gluten free.
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly slices into bite-sized chunks, place in a mixing bowl with the Chinese 5 spice and salt & pepper, then toss until combined.
- Heat a wok on a medium heat, add the pork belly and stir-fry until golden brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork belly from the pan and set it aside on a plate.
- Whilst the pork is cooking, finely chop the red pepper, garlic & half of the chilli, and slice the spring onion & the other half of the chilli.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the wok, then add the red pepper, garlic, peas and the green parts of the spring onion and chilli (you will use the other half to garnish) to the pan and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
- Mix the honey, sesame oil, and coconut aminos/soy sauce in a small bowl to make the sauce.
- Push the vegetables to one side of the pan, add eggs to the other side and scramble until cooked through.
- Slice the eggs into strips or small pieces with a spatula.
- Add the cooked or microwaved rice to the pan, along with the pork belly and sauce and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until everything is well combined.
- Garnish the fried rice with chopped green onions and red chilli and serve hot.
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