Rafute (Okinawan Braised Pork Belly) ラフテー

When you are in Okinawa, you have to try this braised pork dish called Rafute (ラフテー). We tried Rafute in different restaurants during our 5-day trip in Okinawa, and noticed that each place made their own variation. Despite its “fatty” look, this braised pork belly dish is surprisingly light as all the fat is rendered from long hours of cooking. It is so tender, it falls apart when trying to eat it with chopsticks. Rafute really is a must-try dish to experience on a trip to Okinawa!

What’s Rafute?

Rafute is a pork belly dish slowly simmered in sweet and savory sauce, with an origin from a famous Chinese dish called Dong Po Rou (东坡肉/東坡肉), Chinese braised pork belly. Rafute has been eaten in Okinawa since the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879) when it was served as a form of Okinawan Royal Cuisine. 

Rafute consists of the three most signature produce/products in Okinawa: pork, black sugar, and awamori (distilled liquor).

The slow cooking process yields the most tender and melt-in-your-mouth texture. While simmering, the fat renders and the pork belly soaks up all the delicious flavors. The skin and fat of the pork belly become gelatinous and even chopsticks can break down the meat easily. You don’t have to worry about the meat being greasy at all.

Differences Between Rafute and Kakuni

If you’re familiar with the classic Japanese braised pork belly called Kakuni, you may wonder what makes Rafute different from Kakuni.

Well, these two dishes are pretty similar in appearance, as both are influenced by Chinese braised pork belly. While studying how to make Rafute, I noticed a few things that are different in the cooking process from a typical Kakuni recipe.

1. Use pork belly with skin on top

Typically, Japanese grocery stores sell pork belly without skin, so I had to go to an Asian grocery store to make this specific pork belly with skin. Each piece is much bigger, so I asked them to cut it into 2 lbs. You want to pick a leaner piece that comes with some meat but not too fatty. Ideally, it should have even layers of fat and meat.

2. Pre-boiling with just water

Just like Kakuni recipe, pork belly needs to be cooked on low simmer for 1-2 hours. During this time, Kakuni is almost always cooked with ginger and green onion. However, for Rafute, the majority of recipes use only water. You could add ginger and green onions, but I found it not necessary. The use of awamori was good enough to cook off the pungent meat flavor.

3. Use Awamori instead of Sake

If you have no access to awamori, the Okinawan distilled liquor (shochu), you can use sake instead. But I highly recommend using awamori for an authentic version. I think awamori and black sugar makes Rafute different from Kakuni, giving a complex sweetness to the pork.

4. Use “Black Sugar”

Traditional Rafute is made with Okinawa black sugar Kokuto (黒糖). As I couldn’t find Okinawa black sugar in Japanese grocery stores here or on Amazon, I researched other alternatives for “black sugar” online and found out Muscovado sugar is a good choice (read more about this sugar here). Muscovado sugar is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavor.

I tried making Rafute with both granulated sugar (white sugar) and dark brown sugar to see the difference. Mr. JOC and I found that Rafute made with black sugar tastes far better than granulated sugar – more umami and complex flavors, and slightly better than dark brown sugar.

Since I used Muscovado sugar to make other Okinawan recipes including Sata Andagi (Okinawan Donuts) and Okinawa Soba, I encourage you to try finding this cane sugar to make these three Okinawan recipes.

Substitute Tips to Make Rafute

Skin-on Pork Belly: You can use skin-on or skin-off pork belly depending on availability. You can use other cuts of the meat, but I believe it won’t come out as good as pork belly.

Awamori: If your local Japanese grocery stores do not carry it, then use sake or vodka. I still recommend using awamori.

Black Sugar: Unless you’re in Okinawa or Japan, it’s hard to get Okinawan black sugar. Muscavado sugar is the best substitute for this dish. Major grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Whole Foods or your local co-ops should carry Muscovado sugar. You can also buy it online on Amazon or other specialty stores. The sugar is also excellent in many other savory dishes like pulled pork, barbecue sauces, and marinades, so it would be a good buy.

Soy Sauce: Use regular Japanese soy sauce. I often get questions if I use dark or light soy sauce. In Japan, we don’t have dark or light soy sauce as Chinese cuisine does. We do have dark-colored soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu, mostly used in the Tokyo area) and light-colored soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu, mostly used in the Osaka area) but the texture is both thin and almost the same. You can read a little bit more about Japanese soy sauce here.

Also, I added soy sauce at 3 different times. The first time with the rest of the seasoning ingredients, the second time after 1 hour of cooking, and the third and last time after 30 minutes. We do this for two reasons. First, we prevent the pork from getting darker in color. Basically, you don’t cook pork with 5 Tbsp of soy sauce for 1.5 hours. Second, sugar is absorbed into the meat well before soy sauce or salt is added. If your flavor gets salty, it’s hard to undo by adding sugar. Therefore, it’s best to add salty condiments later on.

The long-simmering aside, Rafute is a fairly simple dish to make. The robust flavor makes it an iconic dish in Okinawa. You can enjoy it as an izakaya-style dish with some icy cold beer or as a savory dish to go along with fluffy steamed rice or noodles.

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