We are almost at the end of this FOODball journey. We stop in South Korea. When talking about Korean food is all about presentation and fiery flavours. They love to include sesame oil, chili-pepper paste and soy sauce to their fantastic dishes. Have you ever heard of Ssam? No? It’s a very popular Korean dish.
Korean dishes are based on vegetables, rice and different meats. If you are a big fan of boiling hot soups, grilled meat and kimchi, keep on reading. Kimchi is served next to every meal. And one of the biggest favourites in Korea is the delicious grilled pork belly. That’s the ingredient in this Ssam- pork belly lettuce wrap recipe.
Ssam basically means wrapped. And you don’t use flatbread or tortillas to wrap the meat but fresh lettuce leaves instead. Follow the instructions below how to prepare this handful of joy. A handful, because you eat it with your hands.
Additionally, there is one more thing; you’ll need to marinate the meat for 30 minutes.
Ingredients for Ssam – pork belly lettuce wrap (for 5 people):
- 500 g pork belly (5-7mm thick slices)
- 15-20 lettuce leaves (any lettuce)
- 1 carrot (big)
- 2 spring onions
- 200 g rice
- sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 8 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- watercress sprouts
Ingredients for Ssam sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves
- a piece of ginger (1-2 cm)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp chili-bean paste/sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp mango-chili vinegar
Let’s start with the marinade. In a bowl, mix finely chopped garlic, honey, ketchup and soy sauce. Use a bowl with a flat bottom, in order to cover all the meat evenly. Cut the pork belly slices into 4-5 cm big pieces. You might also remove the hard skin-look like parts, which are usually difficult to chew. Then put the meat in the marinade and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, cook the rice, cut the carrots, wash the lettuce and prepare the Ssam sauce. No need to explain how to cook rice, I hope. Peel the carrots and cut them lengthwise into 2-3 mm thin strips. Be careful with the knife. Wash the lettuce leaves, let them drain and then put them in the fridge. Clean and chop the spring onions.
In a small bowl, mix finely chopped ginger and garlic, honey, chili-bean sauce/paste, sesame oil and mango-chili vinegar. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
Furthermore, preheat the grilling pan. Take the pork belly out of the marinade, put it on some paper towels and dry well. Spread some sesame oil over the pork belly pieces. Once the pan gets hot, place the pork belly in it. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side.
Are you ready to get dirty? Hehehe. Finally, place the lettuce leaves on a big serving plate. Put some carrot strips in each of them, followed with spring onions. Now add the fatty pork belly. On top put a spoon of the sauce and sprinkle with some watercress sprouts. Enjoy the Ssam!
Jal meokkesseumnida! 잘 먹겠습니다!
P.S.: How did you enjoy the FOODball journey? Check out all the other recipes representing different countries around the world. I’ll be back for more for the final of the football World Cup.
