• Start boiling a large pot of water. While you wait, thinly slice the white part of a Japanese leek (naganegi) and place it in a bowl of cold water. The amount depends on how much you want to use as a topping so I left out the measurement here.
  
• Cut ¼ onion into wedges and place it in a separate bowl of cold water.
  
• Once your pot of water is boiling, add 300 g thinly sliced pork belly. Boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the meat has changed color completely, then drain and set aside.
  
• Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and add 1 tsp cooking oil. Drain the onion wedges from earlier and add them to the pan with 1 pinch salt. Gently fry until soft and translucent.
  
• Once the onions are cooked through, add 200 ml water, 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp grated ginger root and ¼ tsp dashi granules to the pan and mix well.
  
• Add the drained pork, mix and simmer until the liquid has almost completely gone.
  

Sauce

• In a separate smaller pot, add ⅛ onion (finely diced) along with 4 tbsp water, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, 1 tsp honey and 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil. Cook over medium-low for 1-2 minutes or until the onion is slightly softened.
  
• Take a small bowl and mix together 1 tbsp water and 1 tsp potato starch (katakuriko) to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the pot and stir over the low heat until slightly thickened and glossy, then remove from the heat.
  

Assembly

• Divide 2 ptns cooked Japanese short-grain rice between serving bowls and place the pork and onions on top.
  
• Pour the sauce over the top, then squeeze out the soaked Japanese leeks and place them in the center. Sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds and enjoy!