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Two bowls Pork belly bites plated

Air Fryer Sticky Pork Belly Bites

Author: Nicole
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 953kcal
These Air Fryer Sticky Pork Belly Bites are an easy fakeaway-style dinner made with pork belly rashers coated in a sticky soy, honey and hoisin marinade. They cook in under 20 minutes until juicy and beautifully caramelised, with no stovetop sauce required. Serve them with fluffy jasmine rice and Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad for a quick, flavour-packed dinner.
Prep Time10 minutes

Ingredients

Pork belly

  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp freshly grated garlic
  • ½ tsp Chinese five spice
  • ½ tsp ground white pepper
  • 1–1.2 kg (2¼–2¾ lb) pork belly rashers, rind removed (see note 1), cut into 4–5 cm (1½–2 inch) pieces
  • Olive oil spray

Quick Smashed Asian Cucumber Salad

  • 2 Lebanese (short/Persian) cucumbers
  • 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
  • ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
  • ½ tsp freshly grated garlic
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp chilli oil or chilli oil crisp, or to taste

To serve

  • Cooked jasmine rice (see note 2)
  • Sesame seeds
  • Chilli oil or chilli oil crisp (optional)

Instructions

  • Make the marinade – Combine the soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, Chinese five-spice and white pepper in a large bowl. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside before adding the raw pork. This will be used to glaze the pork after cooking. (It's important that you make sure you scoop the marinade out before it touches the meat.)
  • Marinate the pork – Add the pork belly to the remaining marinade and toss well to coat (see note 3 if you'd like to marinate it ahead of time).
  • Air fry – Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes to 180°C (350°F). Generously spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Lift the pork from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off, and arrange it in a single layer in the basket. It's fine if the pieces are slightly touching as they'll quickly reduce in size, but don't overlap them. Cook in batches if necessary.
  • Air fry for 16–20 minutes, turning or shaking the basket halfway through. Begin checking the pork at 16 minutes. It's ready when the fat has rendered and the pork is beautifully golden and caramelised around the edges, with the fat visibly rendered. Air fryers vary, so remove the pork as soon as it reaches this point rather than continuing to cook it for the full time. (See note 4 for oven method.)
  • Make the cucumber salad – Cut the cucumbers lengthways into quarters. Place them cut-side down on a chopping board and firmly press with the flat side of a large knife until cracked and slightly split. Add the cucumber with the remaining salad ingredients to a large bowl. Toss well to combine and set aside while the pork cooks.
  • Glaze the pork – As soon as the pork comes out of the air fryer, brush it with the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade. The heat from the pork will help the glaze cling to the outside and give it a beautiful glossy finish without needing any further cooking.
  • Serve – Spoon a generous amount of jasmine rice into bowls. Top with the sticky pork belly and serve the cucumber salad alongside. Finish with extra sesame seeds and chilli oil or chilli oil crisp, if using.

Notes

Note 1 – Use a sharp knife to carefully slice between the rind and the fat, leaving as much of the fat attached to the pork as possible.
Note 2 – Rice Jasmine rice is my preference here because it's soft, fluffy and perfect with the intensely flavoured pork. Cook at least 300 g (1½ cups) uncooked jasmine rice for four people. The pork belly is rich, sweet and salty. You want enough to balance the richness and soak up all that flavour. Brown rice or cauliflower rice also work if you prefer.
Note 3 – Marinating the pork ahead of time For the best flavour, marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. You can marinate it for up to 24 hours. If you don't have time for any marinating, don't let that stop you – you can cook the pork immediately and it will still be delicious.
Note 4 – Oven method
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan-forced). Line a large baking tray with baking (parchment) paper.
  2. Follow steps 1 and 2 for the air fryer method above. Lift the pork belly from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off, and arrange it on the prepared tray in a single layer without overlapping.
  3. Bake for 25–30 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the fat has rendered and the pork is deeply golden and caramelised around the edges. Begin checking it at 25 minutes as the honey and hoisin can darken quickly.
  4. Brush the pork with the reserved marinade immediately after removing it from the oven. Serve as noted in the main recipe.

Make Ahead

The pork belly can be cut and added to the marinade up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to cook it. Make sure you reserve the 2 tablespoons of clean marinade before adding the raw pork and store this separately in the fridge.
You can also prepare the cucumber dressing ahead of time, but keep it separate from the cucumbers. Toss everything together shortly before serving so the cucumbers stay beautifully crunchy.
For a particularly easy dinner, prep the pork and cucumber dressing earlier in the day and have the rice measured and ready to go. At dinner time, it's basically rice cooker on, pork into the air fryer, cucumbers tossed together. Done.

Leftovers

  • Store leftover pork belly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the rice and cucumber salad separately.
  • Reheat the pork belly in the air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 3–5 minutes, or until heated through. Keep an eye on it as the sticky glaze will caramelise further when reheated. You can also microwave the pork until hot, although it won't retain quite as much of its crispy texture.
  • Refrigerate leftover cooked rice promptly in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat until steaming hot. The cucumber salad is best eaten fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours; just expect the cucumbers to soften as they sit in the dressing.

Recipe source

A Simple Home Edit original recipe
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Sticky Pork Belly Bites
Amount per Serving
Calories
953
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
56
g
86
%
Saturated Fat
 
18
g
113
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
10
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
25
g
Cholesterol
 
111
mg
37
%
Sodium
 
1051
mg
46
%
Potassium
 
1011
mg
29
%
Carbohydrates
 
55
g
18
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
22
g
24
%
Protein
 
56
g
112
%
Calcium
 
88
mg
9
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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