To satisfy my prolonged cravings for Korean food, I'm making Kimchi Pork Belly! Did you know that Kimchi is good for health? It's packed with vitamins & probiotics while being low in calories! As for pork belly.....the BBC did publish a study and ranked pork fat as the eighth-most nutritious food on the planet. So all facts considered, this dish is obviously healthy (hah).
It's slightly tricky to find Korean ingredients where I'm at so here's what I managed:
We should be using old kimchi for this dish but I can only find kimchi that isn't nearly fermented enough. So to neutralise the extra tanginess, I'll add in some sugar.
Kimchi Pork Belly
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
Serves: 3-4 pax
Cook & Prep Time: ~60minutes (at least 30minutes to marinate)
Ingredients:
Meat
400g Pork Belly (with or without skin, depending on your preference)
Marinade
200g Kimchi (old and very fermented is the best) *+1 tablespoon of sugar since my Kimchi isn't fermented enough
2 tablespoon Gochujang or Korean red chilli paste
1 medium Korean pear
1 medium onion
8 cloves of garlic
1 small knob of ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (optional)
Cook & garnish
1 stalk of spring onion
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds
Suggested to serve with rice and plenty of lettuce wraps.
Cooking Directions : 1. Mince and/or slice the garlic, and slice the onions.
2. Wash, peel & grate the pear and the ginger. Alternatively, you can also puree them.
3. Wash and cut the spring onion into 5cm lengths - separate the white and green parts. Reserve some of the green ends for garnish (optional).
4. Wash & slice the pork belly into thick strips.
4. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Give it a taste and adjust according to your taste.
5. Add pork belly into the marinade and mix until thoroughly coated. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate if marinating for longer than an hour.
7. Heat a large pan over high heat. Add sesame oil and white ends of the spring onion. Stir for a few seconds.
8. Add all marinade mix into the pan. Stir and flatten to ensure the meat has good contact with the hot pan. Cook for 10-15minutes until the meat is cooked, occasionally lowering the heat to medium if it's too hot.
9. Turn off the heat and stir in the spring onion.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds & spring onion and you're ready to makan!
If you want the KBBQ atmosphere at home, you can even cook this on the grill at your dinner table. And while I mentioned that this serves 3-4 pax, I might have eaten half a plate myself. Do try it out and you'll know how addictive this is!
Till the next cook, stay safe & makan well!