Samgyeopsal (Korean Grilled Pork Belly)

Ingredients

• 800g pork belly, sliced into 1cm-thick strips
• 1 head butter lettuce or perilla leaves, leaves separated
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 green chillies, sliced
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• 1 tsp sesame oil, for the ssamjang
• 1 tsp minced garlic, for the ssamjang
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
• Coarse salt and black pepper, for serving

Before you cook

• Separate the lettuce leaves, wash them and pat dry.
• Thinly slice the garlic and chillies.
• Toss the sliced spring onions with the rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to make a quick side salad.
• Stir together the doenjang, gochujang, remaining sesame oil, minced garlic, honey, sesame seeds and chopped onion in a small bowl to make the ssamjang.

Steps

1. Heat a heavy grill pan or griddle over medium-high heat with no oil.
2. Lay the pork belly strips in the pan in a single layer, leaving space between them.
3. Cook the pork for 3 minutes without moving it, until deeply golden underneath.
4. Flip the strips and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Scatter the sliced garlic into the pan around the pork and let it fry in the rendered fat for 1 minute.
6. Cut the pork strips into bite-sized pieces directly in the pan using kitchen scissors.
7. Push the pork pieces to one side and keep them warm over low heat while everyone serves themselves.
8. Take a lettuce leaf, add a piece of pork, a little fried garlic, a dab of ssamjang and a slice of chilli.
9. Fold the lettuce around the filling and eat it in one bite, with the spring onion salad and coarse salt on the side.