Is it safe to reheat leftover rice?

Yes, if done correctly. I know there is a lot of fear around reheating leftover rice, but it is possible to do it safely. These tips on how to store and reheat cooked rice from Tilda are really helpful. Basically, you need to make sure cooked rice is cooled quickly (within 1 hour), sealed and chilled in the fridge. Use it within 24 hours and only reheat once. If you are concerned, you can use a microwaveable pouch which is designed specifically to be reheated.

Can I make this air fryer pork belly in advance?

Absolutely. In fact, the pork actually benefits from being marinated in advance so feel free to prep the night before. Once cooked, leave to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat the air fryer pork belly, place skin-side up in the air fryer at 180°C for a few minutes or until heated through and the crackling is crispy again. Check frequently to make sure it doesn’t overcook. The exact time will depend on whether you are reheating the whole pork belly or individual slices. The egg fried rice uses cooked rice that has been cooked and cooled in advance (see FAQs on how to do this safely). This needs to be served straight away and shouldn’t be reheated.

What else can I serve with this air fryer pork belly?

Although this air fryer pork belly works brilliantly with egg fried rice, there are lots of other sides you can serve instead. Sometimes I serve it simply with steamed rice. After all, there is so much flavour in the pork belly marinade anyway. You can then just drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle with fresh herbs, nuts and chilli flakes. Alternatively, noodles work well too. You can use any kind you like. I always have a selection of egg, udon and soba noodles in my larder. Fresh, straight-to-the-wok or dried - whatever suits you. My spicy scissor cut noodles with chilli oil and pak choi are delicious if you fancy making your own.

What other veggies can I serve with this air fryer pork belly?

If you can’t get hold of pak choi, you can use Chinese leaf cabbage. Alternatively, you can add more veggies to your egg fried rice or do a separate stir fried veggie side dish. You can use a mix of all sorts of vegetables - carrots, mushrooms, thinly sliced peppers, babycorn, tenderstem broccoli, beansprouts… There are so many options! Alternatively, keep it simple with some sesame steamed greens.

Do I have to leave the pork uncovered in the fridge overnight?

I do find the final result is much better if you do this, as it draws out the moisture for extra crispy skin. If you don't have time, you can skip it and just make sure you pat it really dry and salt it well before cooking it in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Pork Belly

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Did you know you can cook the most delicious pork belly in the air fryer? Imagine unbelievably juicy spiced pork with crispy, crunchy crackling - all cooked in under an hour…

Author: Margie Nomura
Prep Time: 10 minutes + marinating (at least 1 hour - ideally overnight)
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour + marinating
Yield: Serves 2-3 1x
Category: Pork
Method: Air Fryer
Cuisine: Asian-inspired

Ingredients

Scale

For the pork belly:

100ml soy sauce
85ml runny honey
1 tbsp Chinese five spice
2 garlic cloves, grated
750g boneless pork belly
Salt

For the egg fried rice:

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 carrot, julienned (cut into thin batons)
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
400 g cooked rice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 large egg
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Handful of coriander, roughly chopped

For the wilted pak choi:

Drizzle of sesame oil
1 head pak choi

To serve:

Toasted sesame seeds
Coriander, roughly chopped
Chillies, thinly sliced
Spring onions, thinly sliced

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Instructions

For the pork belly: mix together the soy, honey, five spice and garlic. Using a dish close to the size of the pork, pour the marinade into the bottom and sit the pork on top (ensuring no marinade touches the skin). Using a sharp knife, make shallow, parallel cuts about 0.5-1 cm apart, cutting through the skin and fat but not into the meat. You can score diagonally to create a diamond pattern, if you like. If you don’t feel confident with scoring, ask your butcher to do it for you but don’t overthink it. As long as you only cut the skin and fat, rather than the meat, that is fine. Generously cover the skin with salt to draw out excess moisture. Pop on the bottom shelf of the fridge, uncovered, and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour - ideally overnight.
Preheat the air-fryer to ‘roast mode’ (180C). Remove the pork from the fridge and pat the skin dry to remove as much moisture as possible.
Place the pork, along with the marinade and a splash of water (again make sure this doesn’t touch the pork skin), into the air fryer and cook for 40 minutes. Keep an eye on the pork skin to make sure it isn’t burning - if any areas start to go too dark, cover with foil. You also want to make sure the marinade isn’t drying out, if it does, add another splash of water.
Once done, the skin should be lovely and crisp and the marinade should have thickened into a lovely sticky glaze for the pork. Remove from airfryer, cover with foil and rest for around 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the egg fried rice: heat the sesame oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok. Add the carrot and spring onions and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the rice and soy sauce, then crack in the egg and mix well. Add the chilli and coriander and stir fry until heated through.
In a separate non-stick frying pan, heat the sesame oil over a medium-high heat. Add the pak choi and cook until wilted.
To serve: carve the pork (turn upside down and slice from the bottom to get a clean cut through your crackling). Serve drizzled with the glaze alongside the egg fried rice and wilted pak choi. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, roughly chopped coriander, sliced chilli and spring onions, if desired.

Notes

Scroll up for an easy step by step guide to making this recipe.

Vegetables: feel free to switch up the vegetables in the egg fried rice. It is great to use up whatever you have leftover in the fridge. I sometimes add some frozen peas, sweetcorn and spinach too.

Chillies: I add chilli to the egg fried rice and as a garnish for this air fryer pork belly. Deseed the chillies (or reduce them) if you don’t like your food too spicy. Alternatively, use dried chilli flakes or a drizzle of chilli oil.

Serving suggestions: homemade egg fried rice works really well with this air fryer pork belly. However, you can serve with some simple steamed basmati, if you prefer. All sorts of noodles work really well too.

Make ahead: the pork actually benefits from being marinated in advance so feel free to prep the night before. The egg fried rice uses cooked rice that has been cooked and cooled in advance (see FAQs on how to do this safely). This needs to be served straight away and shouldn’t be reheated.

To store: Cool and transfer to an airtight container. Place in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: Place in the air fryer at 180c for 7-10 minutes until hot all the way through. Check frequently to make sure it doesn’t overcook. The exact time will depend on whether you are reheating the whole pork belly or individual slices.

To freeze: Cook the pork belly and cool it. Place in an airtight container, freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost when ready to use and reheat in air fryer at 180c for 7-10 minutes.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/air-fryer-pork-belly/