James Park’s Spicy Korean Pork Belly (Duru Chigi)

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

At age 13, I came to the United States from South Korea all by myself. I was going through puberty and confused about my identity, and I never felt like I could talk to any of the host families I stayed with. They didn’t understand many aspects of my life — be it my high-pitched voice or my fitted jeans. After years of feeling misunderstood and moving from host to host, I finally found an American family I could open up to, the Naumanns.

Ingredients

1 pound pork belly, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
4 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 large white onions, sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 to 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
Kosher salt
Toasted sesame seeds
Cooked white rice
Butter lettuce leaves, separated

Instructions

In a large bowl, season the cubed pork belly with the ginger and black pepper and massage until well coated.
In a small bowl, combine the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, mirin, honey, sesame oil, and garlic and mix well to make the seasoning paste.
Add the onions and the seasoning paste to the bowl with the pork belly and massage with clean hands until the pork is evenly coated. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add two-thirds of the scallions and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the pork belly and sauté for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through and any moisture released from the onions has evaporated. Season to taste with salt.
Transfer the pork to a serving bowl and garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and the remaining scallions. Serve with the cooked rice and offer butter lettuce leaves to make wraps.