This is a very basic version of bossam. The main event here is the meat. Fresh pork belly is braised in a liquid made with strong aromatics to flavour the meat and to soften some of the gamey aroma of the pork.

It can be served with kimchi and various sides, wrapped in a leaf of cabbage, perilla or lettuce.

There are a couple of good recipes here and here which include all the components for a more traditional Korean preparation with pickled Napa cabbage leaves and spicy shredded radish. This is a delicious way to eat it but I am going to do something a little different with things I already have in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for Braised Pork

• 1 kg (around 2.5lb) pork belly
• 1 small chunk (25gr) fresh ginger sliced
• 12 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1/2 onion
• 2 green onions roughly chopped
• 30ml / 2 tablespoons doenjang
• 15ml / 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1.5 litres / 6 cups water

Other Ingredients:

Once the pork is done, you will need something leafy to wrap it in. You may also want to add other fillings to your pork wraps. This can be anything from kimchi to fresh crunchy veggies. Sometimes I even like a little bit of nice mustard in them. This time around, I will use:

• red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and separated into leaves
• perilla leaf (kkaennip) washed and dried
• napa cabbage kimchi
• Korean radish kimchi or (kkakdugi)
• pan fried anchovies with peanuts (myeolchi bokkeum)

Process

Serving

Serve the pork slices with sides of your choice and leaves to wrap it with.

What about the leftover braising liquid?

Store any leftover meat in the braising liquid. Reheat it covered in the liquid as well.

The first time I made this, I noticed that the leftover braising liquid is actually very tasty. You can’t really notice the coffee as a distinct flavour. The liquid is just a warm and delicious pork and doenjang flavour. The only problem is that it is a little too salty.

The next time I made it, I decided to remove extra salt from the recipe, using doenjang only as the main seasoning. The meat is still delicious and can be salted a little after cooking if you think it needs it. But, keep in mind, you are also eating this with kimchi or maybe salted shrimp or other well seasoned add ons so very salty meat is not so necessary.

Once you reduce the salt, you are left with a delicious pork soup base. When the meal is done, I usually strain out all the solids and refrigerate it. The next day I combine it with shredded cabbage, the other half of the onion, mushrooms and frozen udon noodles, a little of the leftover pork and chopped scallions. It is surprisingly delicious! Find that recipe here.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Look forward to hearing from you.