Korean pork belly – Jeyuk bokkeum

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 500 g pork belly
• 1 tbsp oil (sesame oil)
• 2 tbsp chili powder or paprika powder
• 1 tbsp chili paste
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp honey, clear
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ½ onion(s)
• 1 shot of rice wine or white wine
• 1 tsp soy sauce, Korean (Japanese or light Chinese also possible)
• ¼ sweet apple, peeled and grated (juice and pulp)
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped or ginger powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ carrot(s)
• 1 leek(s)
• 100 g mushrooms
• Salt and pepper, black

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Spicy, sweet and spicy pork belly with vegetables, Korean style

Wash the pork belly thoroughly under cold water and pat dry. Mix a marinade of 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, salt, and black pepper and rub it all over the pork belly (wear rubber gloves if necessary). Set the meat aside and prepare the second marinade. To do this, cut the onion into approximately 15 mm cubes and mix well with all the other ingredients. Rub the meat with this marinade and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: Cut the carrot into 2 mm thick slices or strips, slice the leek diagonally into long, thin slices, and briefly wash the mushrooms under running water and slice them 5 mm thick. Once the marinade has sufficiently marinated, toss the meat well again. Heat a pan with a little vegetable oil over medium-high heat and sear the pork belly. Then reduce the heat to prevent the marinade from burning and let it simmer for a while longer. Add the vegetables and continue cooking with the lid on. If you like, you can add the leek at the very end so that it doesn’t get cooked through.