Perfect for a quick family-friendly dinner, this Crispy Pork Belly Fried Rice is jam-packed with flavour and will be on the table in just 35 minutes!
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If you are looking for a Chinese take-away worthy dish that you can re-create at home for a fraction of the price you have come to the right place!
This easy pork belly fried rice is a great way to use up any cooked, leftover rice, although you can just as easily use cooked microwave rice.
Leftover, cooled, cooked rice is normally recommended for fried rice dishes as freshly cooked rice holds more moisture in it and tends to go mushy when fried in the pan. I have found this doesn’t happen with microwave rice, so if you don’t have any leftover cooked rice in the fridge, you can use microwave rice with the same results.
The combination of the tender, juicy pork belly, fresh vegetables, and fluffy rice in this dish creates a family dinner that is both delicious and nutritious.
If you like this pork fried rice, also check out my Hot Dog Fried Rice & “No Egg” Fried Rice with Prawns.
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🥘 Ingredients Used & Substitutions
Most of these ingredients you will have at home already & the great thing about this recipe is that if you don't, you can swap ingredients for stuff you do have!
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Pork Belly - I would recommend buying pork belly strips, as you will just need to chop the slices into chunks. If you buy a pork belly joint you will need to remove the skin before cooking and slicing. 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 whilst cooking and doesn’t go mushy. However, I have found that microwave rice doesn’t go as soft as freshly cooked rice so is a good substitute if you don’t have any leftover rice. Jasmine, basmati or long grain rice work well.
- Eggs - The classic staple of fried rice. To make this dish egg free, make a tofu scramble with silken tofu and add to the fried rice.
- Garlic- Fresh is always best, but you can use a garlic paste if you don’t have any fresh garlic cloves.
- Vegetables - I have used peas and red pepper. 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.
- Coconut Aminos - I have used coconut aminos which is a dark sauce similar in taste to soy sauce but is made with coconut and is gluten-free. You can also use a gluten free tamari sauce. Feel free to swap to traditional soy sauce if you don’t need to avoid gluten.
- Garnish - Half of the red chilli & spring onion is cooked with the vegetables in the pan and the other half is sliced and used on top of the rice as a garnish. You can also sprinkle sesame seeds over the finished dish for extra flavour and texture.
- Honey - This adds a touch of sweetness to the dish.
- Chinese 5 Spice -A staple in Chinese cooking, this spice has a slight liquorice flavour that marries really well with the pork.
- Sesame Oil: This gives a deliciously nutty flavour to the rice, but if you have a sesame allergy you can swap for olive oil, although the taste won’t be quite as strong.
✏️ How To Make Pork Belly Fried Rice
⬇️ For the full printable recipe, along with ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post ⬇️
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. The seasoning will help to bring out the flavours of the meat.
Next, heat a wok over 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.
While the pork belly is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Finely chop the red pepper, garlic, and half of the chilli, and slice the spring onion and the other half of the chilli.
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, peasgarlic, 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 caramelized. The vegetables will really absorb & take on the flavours from the pork belly and the seasoning.
In a small bowl, mix together the honey, sesame oil, and coconut aminos to make the sauce.
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.
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.
Finally, garnish the fried rice with chopped green onions and red chilli, which will add a pop of colour and freshness to the dish.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- If you want to make the dish a little milder, scrape out the seeds from the chilli with a teaspoon before finely chopping or use half the amount.
- Try and choose pork belly strips that have a higher meat-to-fat ratio.
- 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 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 its evenly cooked.
🥡 Storage
It is advised to not reheat rice more than once, so I would recommend eating this dish straight away.
💬 FAQ
It is not recommended to freeze pork belly fried rice, as the texture and flavour of the dish may be altered after thawing and reheating. It is also recommended to not reheat rice more than once, so it is best to consume the dish fresh.
Pork belly fried rice is not considered a low-fat or low-calorie dish due to the use of pork belly, which is a fatty cut of meat. However, the addition of vegetables can provide some nutritional benefits. If you use a leaner cut of pork like the loin, the dish will be much lower in fat.
Yes, you can use other types of meat such as chicken, beef or shrimp (prawns) as a substitute for pork belly. However, the cooking time and method may need to be adjusted accordingly.
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📖 Recipe
Pork Belly Fried Rice
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
For the pork
- 280 g pork belly slices
- 2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the rice
- 500 g 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 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.
Notes
- If you want to make the dish a little milder, scrape out the seeds from the chilli with a teaspoon before finely chopping or use half the amount.
- Try and choose pork belly strips that have a higher meat-to-fat ratio.
- 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 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 than pork belly, and the additional oil will help prevent the meat from sticking to the pan and ensure it is evenly cooked.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!