Bossam

Method

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1. Bring the water to the boil with the doenjang, onion, garlic, ginger, coffee, spring onions, bay and sugar.

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2. Lower the pork belly in, skin side up, and return to a bare simmer.

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3. Cook 90 minutes, turning once, until a skewer slides through the thickest part with no resistance.

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4. Meanwhile toss the radish with the gochugaru, vinegar and salt and leave 20 minutes.

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5. Lift the pork out and wrap it tightly in foil.

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6. Rest 15 minutes.

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7. Unwrap and slice across into pieces about 5 mm thick.

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8. Arrange on a board with the lettuce, radish salad and ssamjang.

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9. Eat by laying a slice in a lettuce leaf with radish and a dab of ssamjang and folding it into a parcel.

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Chef’s Tips

• Rest wrapped for fifteen minutes or it will not slice.
• The coffee is for colour and cleanness, not flavour.
• Slice thin — thick bossam is heavy.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Fresh oysters
• Kimchi
• Soju

Storage & Reheating

Keeps 3 days refrigerated. Steam slices for 2 minutes to reheat.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.