Bossam

Ingredients

Pork and broth

• 1.5 kgpork belly, skin on, in one piece
• 3 litreswater
• 3 tbspdoenjang
• 100 mlsoju
• 1onion, halved
• 1 headgarlic, halved across
• 5cm ginger, sliced
• 6spring onion tops
• 10black peppercorns
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbspinstant coffee granules, optional

Radish salad

• 400 gKorean radish, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 tbspsalt
• 2 tbspgochugaru
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbspsaeujeot, salted shrimp, minced
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1 tbsprice vinegar
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspminced ginger
• 2spring onions, sliced

To wrap

• 1 headnapa cabbage, leaves separated
• ssamjang
• saeujeot
• raw garlic, sliced
• green chillies, sliced

Directions

1. Rinse the pork belly and soak it in cold water for 30 minutes, changing the water once, to draw out the blood.
2. Bring the water to a rolling boil with the doenjang, soju, onion, garlic, ginger, spring onion tops, peppercorns and bay leaves.
3. Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, never letting it reach a rolling boil, because a hard boil renders the belly stringy and tight. Test it with a skewer through the thickest part: it should slide in with only slight resistance.
4. Turn the heat off and leave the pork sitting in its broth for 15 minutes. Meanwhile toss the radish matchsticks with the salt and leave them for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the water firmly with your hands.
5. Lift the pork out, rest it for 5 minutes, and slice it about 5 mm thick straight across the layers so every slice shows both fat and lean.
6. Serve immediately on a warmed plate.

Technique

• Simmer, never boil. This is the whole technique, and everything else is assembly.
• Slice it thin and serve it warm. Bossam cools fast and the fat sets unpleasantly on a cold plate.
• The dish belongs to gimjang, the communal winter kimchi-making, when households fed their helpers boiled pork wrapped in the cabbage they had just salted.

Substitutions

• Pork shoulder for a leaner result, reducing the simmer to an hour.
• Miso in place of doenjang, which is milder but works.
• Lettuce or perilla leaves instead of cabbage.

Variations

• Gul bossam, served with raw oysters alongside, which is the winter version.
• With freshly salted gimjang cabbage rather than blanched leaves.
• Bossam kimchi from Gaeseong, in which the fillings are wrapped inside the cabbage leaves and left to ferment.

History

Tied to gimjang, the communal winter kimchi-making, when households rewarded helpers with boiled pork eaten in freshly salted cabbage leaves.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bossam?

Bossam is a main from South Korea: boiled pork belly slices wrapped in cabbage leaves with radish salad and ssamjang. Tied to gimjang, the communal winter kimchi-making, when households rewarded helpers with boiled pork eaten in freshly salted cabbage leaves.

How long does Bossam take to make?

Bossam takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bossam?

Yes, within limits. Pork shoulder for a leaner result, reducing the simmer to an hour. Miso in place of doenjang, which is milder but works. Lettuce or perilla leaves instead of cabbage.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bossam?

Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, never letting it reach a rolling boil, because a hard boil renders the belly stringy and tight. Test it with a skewer through the thickest part: it should slide in with only slight resistance.