Pineapple juice and honey lend a subtle sweetness to already succulent pork belly. A generous serving of gochujang (Korean chile paste, made out of chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soy beans and salt) gives this dish a boldness that spicy food lovers will go crazy for.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 6 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 6 hr |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gochujang
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger (about one 1/2-inch piece)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound pork belly, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 2 mild chile peppers, such as red finger or shishito, thinly sliced
- Boston lettuce leaves, for serving
- Korean Bean Sprout Salad, recipe follows
- White rice, for serving
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the gochujang, pineapple juice, honey, sesame oil, ginger and garlic together in a medium bowl. Place the pork in a zip-top bag and pour the gochujang mixture over it. Seal the bag and shake well, making sure that the marinade coats the meat. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat or prepare an outdoor grill. Cook the pork until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a board and cut into bite-size pieces. On a serving platter, make separate piles of chiles, lettuce leaves and Korean Bean Sprout Salad. To make a lettuce cup, spoon some rice in the center of a lettuce leaf, top with a few pieces of pork, some chiles and salad, sprinkle with sesame seeds and fold.
- Korean Bean Sprout Salad:
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound soya bean sprouts, with beans attached
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red chile pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and then add the bean sprouts and cook until al dente, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately add to the ice water. Drain in a strainer and pat dry. Add the bean sprouts to a medium bowl, toss with the sesame oil, fish sauce, gochugaru, mirin, garlic and scallions and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 871 |
| Total Fat | 76 g |
| Saturated Fat | 24 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 24 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 82 mg |
| Sodium | 1323 mg |
Reviews
I made the recipe as-is except I used fine instead of course ground gochugaru for the bean sprout salad because I bought the wrong type, so it made the salad a bit soggy and bright red in color; I will def make again using the coarse ground, flaky gochugaru. I marinated the pork belly overnight and grilled it on a gas grill. I also used pineapple juice from concentrate, but I think the pork belly would’ve been more flavorful and slightly more tender if I used a better quality juice in the marinade. This is a delicious recipe! Can’t wait to make it again!