A trip to the Korean market is always fun when I’m getting ready to entertain or simply preparing a weeknight meal. We love Korean food at our house, and pork belly lettuce wraps are always a fun and active way to serve delicious, flavorful food, no matter what the occasion.
These lettuce wraps celebrate the popular Korean dish Samgyeopsal Gui, which simply means grilled pork belly. Koreans traditionally eat Samgyeopsal while grilling the meat themselves at the table. The pork is then placed into a piece of lettuce topped with a Korean perilla leaf, a delicious green-onion salad and then either ssamjang or a sweet and spicy gochujang (hot pepper paste) mixture to top it all off.
You can slice the green onions with a knife, as I used to do, or pick up a special green-onion shredder at a Korean or Asian market. These make long, tender threads of onion in no time. I absolutely love tools that help me work faster in the kitchen. To my delight, my mother recently gave me an extra one she had in her drawer of cool kitchen gadgets.
In addition to the green-onion salad, I love topping my lettuce wraps with pickled vegetables and kimchi. Fresh, tangy and spicy all in one bite — it can’t get any better than that.
PORK BELLY LETTUCE WRAPS
Serves 6
For the gochujang mixture:
3/4 cup gochujang
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Roasted sesame seeds
For the green-onion salad:
10-12 green onions, finely shredded or sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons gochugaru (start with 1 teaspoon)
Season with kosher salt
Roasted sesame seeds
For the lettuce wraps:
3 pounds pork belly, thinly sliced and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
2 heads green leaf or Boston bibb lettuce, washed and separated
Korean perilla leaves
Toppings:
Pickled carrots
Pickled radishes
Kimchi
Directions:
To prepare the gochujang mixture: In a small bowl, mix together the gochujang, honey and sesame oil. Taste, and adjust any ingredients as necessary. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, mix again slightly, and set aside.
For the green-onion salad: Combine the shredded green onions, sesame oil and gochugaru in a medium-sized bowl. Toss together, and season with salt. Taste, and adjust any ingredients as necessary. Lightly sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds over the top, mix together one last time, and set aside.
For the pork belly: Using a heated tabletop grill (or in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop), cook the pork belly for a few minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. As the pork belly pieces are cooked and finished, start assembling the lettuce wraps.
To assemble: Place a Korean perilla leaf into a piece of lettuce, and top with 2 to 3 pieces of pork belly. Top with a little of the green-onion salad and a bit of the gochujang mixture. Finish with any other toppings, as desired.
Recipe Notes
• Korean groceries can be found in virtually every large city, as well as in many suburbs and smaller cities. If you don’t have access to one, many of the ingredients can be bought online.
• This recipe can easily be doubled or cut in half, depending on how many people you are serving.
• If you cook the pork belly at the table using an indoor tabletop grill, try adding some fresh garlic cloves to cook alongside the pork belly and enjoy in your lettuce wraps.
• Some people also enjoy dipping their cooked pork belly pieces into a mixture of sesame oil, salt and pepper. This is a great option for some added flavor.
• If you have any leftovers of the sweet and spicy gochujang mixture, this can be eaten with raw vegetables sticks, such as carrots and zucchini.
Alice Choi is a writer for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit comments or questions to kitchn@apartmenttherapy.com.