Chashu — Japanese Pork Belly for Ramen (Easy Pressure Cooker Recipe)
Chashu (チャーシュー) is the glossy, melting slice of braised pork that sits on top of a bowl of ramen — and making it at home is far easier than most people think, especially with an electric pressure cooker. This weekend I made a batch with a block of pork belly, exactly the way we do it in our house: sear it in a pan, drop it into the pressure cooker with soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger, and the green part of a leek, and let the machine do the rest.
I based it on the official recipe for our Iris Ohyama pressure cooker and used what’s in our Kyushu kitchen — Fundokin “Golden Murasaki” soy sauce, which is the everyday soy sauce down here. After about an hour, mostly hands-off, you get a deeply savory, wobbly block of pork you can slice thin for ramen, pile onto rice, or just eat off the cutting board while it’s still warm (I always do). Here’s exactly how I make it.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Mostly hands-off. Sear the pork, add everything to the pressure cooker, and let it cook while you do something else.
- Just a handful of ingredients. Soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger, and leek — all pantry staples.
- Real ramen-shop flavor at home. That deep, sweet-savory braise is exactly what you want on a bowl of noodles.
- So versatile. Ramen topping, rice bowl (chashu don), or a simple side — plus you get a jar of tasty braising liquid to reuse.
What is Chashu?
Chashu (チャーシュー) takes its name from Chinese char siu, but the Japanese ramen-shop version is quite different. Instead of being roasted, it’s usually a rolled or block cut of pork simmered slowly in a sweet-savory mix of soy sauce, sake, sugar, and aromatics until it’s meltingly tender. It’s most famous as a ramen topping, but it’s just as good sliced over rice as chashu don, or chopped into fried rice.
You can use different cuts: pork shoulder (loin) gives you leaner, firmer slices, while pork belly — what I used here — gives you richer, more melting chashu with that ribbon of fat. If you like this kind of slow-braised Japanese pork, you’ll probably also enjoy my buta no kakuni (braised pork belly).
Ingredients (Serves 4)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pork belly (or shoulder) block | 500 g | Belly for richer chashu; shoulder for leaner |
| Soy sauce | 6½ tbsp | I use Kyushu-style Fundokin |
| Sake | 5½ tbsp | Cooking sake is fine |
| Sugar | 5 tbsp | Regular white sugar |
| Water | 50 ml | |
| Leek / green onion (green part) | 1 stalk’s worth | Cut into 5 cm lengths |
| Ginger | 1 knob | Thinly sliced |
The tool that makes this genuinely easy is an electric pressure cooker — mine is an Iris Ohyama, and it turns a normally long braise into an hour of mostly waiting. A good Japanese soy sauce makes a real difference to the final flavor, since it’s the backbone of the braise. Everything else you likely already have.
How to Make Chashu
Step 1: Sear the Pork
If you like, tie the pork block with kitchen twine to help it hold its shape (I often skip this with belly). Heat a pan over medium-high and brown the pork on all sides. You’re not cooking it through — just building color and flavor on the surface, which makes a big difference in the finished chashu.
Step 2: Add Everything to the Pot
Put the seared pork into the inner pot of the pressure cooker and add the soy sauce, sake, sugar, and water, along with the leek greens and sliced ginger. Then lay a piece of aluminum foil with a 1 cm hole poked in the center over the top as a drop-lid (otoshibuta) — this keeps the pork basted in the liquid as it cooks.
Step 3: Pressure Cook
Set the lid to the sealed position and pressure cook for about 20 minutes. On my Iris Ohyama that’s roughly 15 minutes to come up to pressure, 20 minutes of cooking, and around 30 minutes for the pressure to release naturally — about an hour in total, almost all of it hands-off.
Step 4: Flip and Rest
Once the pressure pin has dropped, open the lid and flip the pork over so the top side soaks in the braising liquid too. Let it rest and cool in the liquid — this is when it soaks up color and flavor and firms up enough to slice cleanly. For the best result, let it cool completely (even overnight in the fridge) before slicing.
Step 5: Slice and Serve
Slice the chashu to your preferred thickness — thin for ramen, a little thicker for a rice bowl. Look at that glossy edge and tender interior. Warm the slices in a little of the braising liquid if you like before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Sear first, don’t skip it. The browned surface adds depth you can’t get from braising alone.
- Cool before slicing. Warm chashu falls apart; chilled chashu slices into clean, neat pieces.
- Belly vs. shoulder. Belly is richer and more melting; shoulder is leaner and holds neat round slices — use whichever you prefer.
- Save the braising liquid. Use it to make ajitama (soy-marinated soft-boiled eggs), to season fried rice, or to reheat the chashu slices.
- No pressure cooker? Simmer gently on the stovetop with the foil drop-lid for about 1.5–2 hours, turning occasionally, until fork-tender.
What to Serve It With
- Sliced over a bowl of ramen — I used it here to top a simple shio (salt) ramen with a boiled egg and green onion.
- On a bowl of hot rice as chashu don, drizzled with a little braising liquid.
- Alongside other pressure-cooker favorites like my one-pot Japanese curry.
Storing and Reheating
Keep the chashu block (unsliced, if you can) in the fridge submerged in its braising liquid for up to 3–4 days — the liquid keeps it moist and deepens the flavor. It also freezes well: slice or block it, freeze in a little of the liquid, and thaw in the fridge. Reheat gently in a splash of the braising liquid or briefly in the microwave, so it stays tender rather than drying out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of pork is best for chashu?
Both pork belly and pork shoulder (loin) are traditional. Belly gives you the richest, most melting chashu thanks to its layers of fat — that’s what I used here. Shoulder is leaner and slices into neat rounds. Choose based on whether you want rich and tender or lean and firm.
Do I need a pressure cooker to make chashu?
No — a pressure cooker just makes it faster and more hands-off. Without one, simmer the pork gently on the stovetop with a foil drop-lid for about 1.5 to 2 hours, turning it now and then, until it’s fork-tender. The flavor is just as good; it simply takes longer.
Why let the chashu cool before slicing?
Straight out of the pot the pork is very soft and tends to crumble. As it cools in the braising liquid it firms up and absorbs more color and flavor, so you get clean, glossy slices. Chilling it completely (even overnight) makes slicing thin, neat pieces much easier.
Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly)
Ingredients
Method
- Optionally tie the pork with kitchen twine. Sear the block on all sides in a hot pan until browned.
- Put the pork in the pressure cooker inner pot and add the soy sauce, sake, sugar, water, leek greens, and sliced ginger. Cover with a foil drop-lid with a 1 cm hole poked in the center.
- Seal the lid and pressure cook for about 20 minutes (roughly 1 hour total including coming up to and releasing pressure).
- When the pressure has released, open the lid and flip the pork so both sides soak in the liquid. Let it cool in the braising liquid (ideally until fully chilled).
- Slice to your preferred thickness and serve over ramen or rice, warming the slices in a little braising liquid if you like.
