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Try Su Scott's Korean pork belly with kimchi, then try Bibigo's bo-saam pork belly, Korean bossam (poached pork belly wrap) or roast pork belly with star anise plum sauce. Now try Korean tteokbokki, Korean noodles or Korean cabbage pancakes.

Samgyeopsal (pork belly) is a cut commonly considered soul food to Koreans. Top it off with soft jammy garlic and you have a heavenly dish that is bursting with flavour.

In Korea, restaurants offering table barbecue are everywhere and generally affordable. Typically cooking happens right in front of you over a charcoal or gas grill built into the table itself or a portable stove so that everyone can get involved. But to me what makes Korean barbecue special is not how we cook but rather the spread that goes with it and the way we eat. It is about social interactions just as much as it is about food – it is a culture rather than a singular or particular dish. At the most basic level a Korean BBQ table needs a platter of soft seasonal leaves for wrapping and ssamjang to bolster the parcel.

While it is fun to set up a portable burner in the middle of the table, it is still possible to enjoy it without it. Cook as you would normally in the kitchen, like this recipe here. Just set up the table with all the trimmings to recreate your own version of the K-BBQ sensory experience.

How to serve: a side of seasonal leaves, ssamjang (Korean seasoned soybean paste) and some plain steamed rice would make the Korean BBQ table sing. You can also try serving it with Korean toasted sesame oil and salt dipping sauce – I like a ratio of three parts oil to one part slightly ground down flaky salt with a liberal amount of freshly cracked black pepper.

Su Scott is an award-winning cook and food writer based in London. Her recipes are influenced by her childhood in Korea as well as her time living in the UK. She is the author of two cookery books, Rice Table and Pocha, and has contributed to numerous publications. Listen to her on the podcast, available on Spotify, Acast and Apple. @suscottfood

Korean pork belly with kimchi recipe

  • 400g skinless pork belly strips
  • sunflower oil
    for frying
  • 1 garlic bulb
    peeled and halved lengthways
  • 250g cabbage kimchi (whole or cut)

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal614
  • fat46g
  • saturates15g
  • carbs7g
  • sugars3g
  • fibre3g
  • protein41g
  • salt2.9g
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Method

  • step 1

    Pat dry the pork with kitchen paper and season with a generous pinch of sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper.

  • step 2

    Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add a little oil to the pan and lay the pork strips in a single layer, fat-side down, to gently render the fat and to brown. Sear evenly on all sides, turning occasionally. When the meat is almost done, add the garlic and baste the meat. When the pork is cooked through, remove from the heat and transfer to a tray to rest – it should take around 10 mins depending on the thickness of the meat.

  • step 3

    Meanwhile, push the garlic to one side and add the kimchi to the pan to fry in the fat for 8 mins over a medium heat, turning occasionally, until the kimchi is softened and unctuously tender – you may want to remove the browned garlic as you go. If using whole kimchi, once done, cut the kimchi into manageable pieces.

  • step 4

    Slice the pork into bite-sized pieces and serve immediately with the browned garlic cloves and fried kimchi.

More ways with pork belly.

Pork belly with beans and pistou in a deep black baking dish

Authors

Su Scott
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