Korean Style Pan-Seared Pork Belly Slices 🇰🇷

Korean barbecue houses are popular eateries where dinners sit around the table to enjoy a variety of meat off the grill, freshly cooked to their liking.  This simple recipe reminiscent of the restaurant fare uses a pack of thinly sliced pork belly conveniently available from Korean grocers as well as most supermarkets.  The slices are marinated in a 'gochujang' based sauce for 20 minutes or so, then seared in a frying pan until caramelised and cooked through.  No oil is needed as they cook in their own fat.  There are 2 ways of serving these delightful morsels that practically melt in your mouth:  place each slice in a baby cos lettuce leaf cup and present them as an appetiser, or serve them on top of a bed of crisp lettuce leaves with rice on the side.

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

• 350g / 12oz thinly sliced pork belly
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• baby cos lettuce leaves, to serve
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions, for garnishing

METHOD

1. Place sesame seeds in a medium frying pan.  Toast over low heat for 1-2 minutes until the seeds are fragrant and golden, swirling them in the pan with a spoon to avoid burning.  Remove toasted seeds immediately to a plate to cool.
2. In a bowl, marinade pork slices in garlic, ginger, gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds for 20 minutes.
3. Swirl each pork slice around a fork and drop them into a large non-stick frying pan, a little distance from each other, to fry over medium-low heat.  Fry for 2-3 minutes and then turn them over to fry the other side for a further 2-3 minutes or until the slices are caramelised and cooked through.  Do this in 2 batches so the pan is not crowded.
4. Transfer pork slices to a platter and serve with baby cos lettuce leaves.  Garnish with chopped spring onions.