Lemongrass Pork Belly Ssam with Gochujang Nước Chấm (Vietnamese × Korean)

Method

1. Cut the carrot into fine matchsticks, toss with the rice vinegar, sugar and salt and leave for 20 min. The sharp pickle cuts through the rich pork belly.

   Add in this stepCarrot 60 gRice vinegar 2 tbspSugar (pickles) 2 tspSalt 1 pinch

2. Very finely chop the tender part of the lemongrass and the garlic, mix with the fish sauce, honey and black pepper, toss with the pork belly and leave to marinate for 20 min.

   Add in this stepPork belly, sliced 5 mm thick 300 gLemongrass stalk 1Garlic cloves (marinade) 3Fish sauce (marinade) 3 tspHoney 2 tspBlack pepper 1 pinch

3. Make the gochujang nước chấm. Whisk the sugar and gochujang into the water until smooth, then stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, chopped garlic and sesame oil. It should taste sweet, sour and gently spicy.

   Add in this stepGochujang (Korean chilli paste) 2 tspFish sauce (dipping sauce) 4 tspSugar (dipping sauce) 4 tspLime, for juice 1Water 60 mlGarlic clove (dipping sauce) 1Toasted sesame oil 1 tsp

4. Wash the lettuce and perilla and shake them dry; pick the mint leaves. Slice the green chilli on the diagonal and cut the kimchi into bite-sized pieces. Set everything out on the table with the rice.

   Add in this stepWarm cooked short-grain rice 300 gLettuce leaves 8Perilla (kkaennip) leaves 8Mint 6 gGreen chilli 1Well-fermented cabbage kimchi 80 g

5. Heat a 26 cm frying pan or griddle on medium-high heat (no oil needed), lay out the pork belly and cook for 7 min. The marinade burns easily, so turn every 2 minutes; when both sides are golden, the edges crisp and the meat cooked through, snip into bite-sized pieces with scissors and sprinkle with sesame seeds. If the pan is full, cook in batches and wipe out the rendered fat with kitchen paper as you go.

   Add in this stepToasted sesame seeds 1 tsp

   medium-high heat

6. To eat: lay a perilla leaf on a lettuce leaf, add a spoonful of rice, some pork, carrot pickle, kimchi, a mint leaf and a slice of green chilli, wrap it up, dip it in the gochujang nước chấm and eat it in one bite.