Bossam (Korean Boiled Pork Wraps)

Method

1. Cut the pork into long blocks about 5 cm thick. Thicker pieces take ages to cook through; thinner ones dry out. Halve the onion, cut the leek into 2 or 3 pieces, slice the ginger thinly and peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole. Pat the pork dry with paper towels.

2. Pour the water into a 20 cm pot and dissolve the doenjang in it, pressing it through a sieve or stirring well with a spoon. Add the onion, leek, garlic, ginger, peppercorns and soju and boil on high heat for about 10 min. The doenjang and aromatics take away any porky smell and season the meat gently.

   Add in this stepWater 1½ LDoenjang (Korean soybean paste) 1½ tbspOnion ½Korean leek (daepa) or thick spring onion 1Garlic cloves, whole 4Fresh ginger 8 gWhole black peppercorns 1 tspSoju or rice wine 3 tbsp

   high heat

3. Add the pork once the water is boiling. It must be fully covered to cook evenly, so top up with boiling water if needed. When it comes back to the boil, turn the heat from high heat down to medium-low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 40 min. It is done when a chopstick slides into the thickest part with no resistance and the juices run clear. If they are pink, simmer 10 minutes more.

   Add in this stepPork belly, in one piece 400 g

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. While the pork cooks, prepare the sides. Separate the cabbage leaves, rinse them in cold water and shake dry. Finely chop the salted shrimp and mix with the chilli flakes and sesame seeds in a small dish. If it tastes very salty, add a few drops of water.

   Add in this stepNapa cabbage leaves (tender inner leaves) 8Saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp) 2 tspGochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) 1 pinchToasted sesame seeds 1 tsp

5. Turn off the heat and leave the pork in the hot broth for 5 min; resting lets the juices settle so the slices stay moist. Lift it onto a board and slice across the grain about 0.7 cm thick, using a sharp knife in a gentle sawing motion so the fat and meat stay together.

6. Fan the slices on a platter with the cabbage, kimchi, ssamjang and shrimp dip. To eat, lay a slice on a cabbage leaf, add a dab of shrimp dip or ssamjang and a piece of kimchi, wrap it up and eat it in one bite.

   Add in this stepWell-fermented napa cabbage kimchi 150 gSsamjang (Korean dipping paste) 2 tbsp