Quick kimchi with steamed pork

Kimchi can be an intimidating dish to prepare at home, try this simplified version with bossam, a traditional Korean steamed pork belly.

Quick kimchi with steamed pork Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  12

• prep

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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Ingredients

Kimchi

• 1 head Korean / Napa cabbage, cut into 5 cm by 6 cm slices (see Notes)
• ½ cup-⅔ cup sea salt, medium to fine ground
• 2 cups (500 ml) water
• ⅔-1 cup gochugaru (coarse-ground Korean chilli powder, see Notes)
• 7 cm x 5 cm piece Korean radish, roughly chopped
• 14 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cm x 3 cm piece ginger, minced
• 3 tbsp saewoo jert (salted shrimp, see Notes)
• 3 tbsp myeolchi aekjeot (Korean anchovy sauce, see Notes)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3-4 spring onions, sliced diagonally
• ½-¾ cup rice paste, optional (see Notes)

Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly)

• 1 ½ kg whole pork belly
• 3 cm x 4 cm piece peeled ginger
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 whole peeled onion
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tbsp doenjang (Korean soy bean paste), optional
• 2 tbsp cooking sake/ soju, optional

Resting time: 1 hour

Fermenting time: 2-3 days

Instructions

1. In an extra-large bowl, sprinkle the sliced cabbage with the salt. Pour over the water and mix gently. Allow to sit for 1 hour, or until wilted. Add extra salt if the cabbage is not wilting within the time frame. Wash cabbage thrice to remove the salt, drain well.
2. Mix the gochugaru (Korean chilli powder) with the drained salted cabbage in a large bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pack the kimchi into a clean good-quality container or a glass jar (tall and narrow is ideal), and let it ferment for 2-3 days at room temperature. Place the kimchi in the fridge when it's fermented to your liking.
3. Place the pork belly in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, skimming off any impurities. Reduce to medium-low, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour 15-30 minutes, or until the pork is tender.

Notes

• For the cabbage: Shake off dirt from cabbage but don't wash cabbage prior to salting. Wash after salting and then drain well. The inner yellowish leaves are kept whole or sliced minimally, and the thicker outer leaves sliced into desired size.

• Gochugaru, saewoo jeot and myeolchi aekjeot can be bought at Korean or other Asian supermarkets. Vary the amount of gochugaru (chilli powder) according to your preference. If not using gochugaru (Korean chilli powder), blend 7-8 long red chillies with garlic and ginger for a vibrant red colour.

• Pack kimchi nearly to the top of the container to minimize oxidation but leave about 3 cm space at the top. Some juice from kimchi can overflow during fermentation.

• To make the rice paste, combine 2 - 3 tbsp rice flour with ¾ cups water in a saucepan and stir well. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes, or until it forms a thick paste. Cool before using.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

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