Breastfeeding Friendly Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
Few dishes deliver the kind of deep, primal satisfaction that comes from perfectly crackling pork skin giving way to tender, juicy meat underneath. This Cantonese-style roasted pork belly is a showstopper — the kind of recipe that makes your kitchen smell incredible and your family hover near the oven. The overnight dry-brine does the heavy lifting, drawing out moisture from the skin so that the high-heat finish produces those dramatic, golden blisters that shatter with every bite. For nursing parents, getting enough protein and healthy fats is genuinely important, and pork belly delivers both in a satisfying, nourishing way. The marinade leans on tamari and five-spice for bold, savory depth, and garlic-infused oil keeps all that flavor without any hard-to-digest raw garlic. The ingredient list is straightforward and free from anything that commonly raises concerns during breastfeeding — no alcohol, no excessive additives, just real, whole ingredients you can feel good about. The technique here is methodical but very approachable: poke, marinate, salt, rest, roast, and blast with heat. Sliced into pieces with a little tamari for dipping and a scatter of fresh scallion greens, this is the kind of meal that feels celebratory even on a regular weeknight.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the pork
- 2 ½ lb skin-on pork belly, in one slab
For the marinade
- 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
For the skin
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
For serving
- 3 stalks scallion, green tops only, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp tamari, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the pork belly completely dry with paper towels. Using a sharp skewer, fork, or the tip of a paring knife, poke the skin all over — aim for at least 50–60 punctures across the entire surface, going no deeper than the fat layer beneath the skin. This is the most important step for achieving a bubbly, crackling crust.
- 2
Flip the pork belly skin-side down. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic-infused oil, tamari, five-spice powder, white pepper, sugar, and fine salt until combined. Rub this marinade evenly over the meat and fat sides only — keep it off the skin entirely.
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