← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 700 g well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi (a quarter head, uncut)
• 120 ml kimchi juice from the jar
• 300 g Pork belly, cut into thick slices
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Ginger, grated
• 400 ml water or anchovy stock
• 1 tsp Gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 200 g Tofu, sliced (optional)
• 2 Spring onion, cut into 5 cm pieces

Method

1. Heat the sesame oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 3–4 min, until lightly browned and some fat has melted. Stir in the garlic and ginger for a few seconds.
2. Lay the kimchi wedges over the pork. Pour in the kimchi juice and water and sprinkle with gochugaru and sugar.
3. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 40 min, until the kimchi is soft and translucent and the pork is tender. Check now and then and add a splash of water if it looks dry.
4. Tuck in the tofu for the last 5 min and scatter over the spring onions.
5. Bring the pot to the table and cut the kimchi into strips with scissors. Serve with rice, wrapping the pork in pieces of kimchi.

Tips

• This only works with properly sour, aged kimchi; fresh kimchi tastes harsh when braised.
• Canned tuna or mackerel instead of pork makes a classic quick version.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang FutureDish