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Bossam - Korean Pork Belly Wrap
5 from 14 votes

Bossam - Korean Pork Belly Wrap

Bossam features tender boiled pork belly served with lightly pickled cabbage leaves and a spicy kimchi radish salad. The pork boils in a seasoned broth until just tender, retaining moisture while the pickled cabbage provides a crisp base for wrapping. The accompaniment of a spicy, garlicky radish salad adds bold flavor and texture contrast, completing the dish traditionally served as a hand wrap.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
7 mins
Additional Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
27 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 840 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

Pickled Cabbage Leaves
  • 9 cups water
  • 1.5 cup sea salt for kimchi, Korean cheonilyeom
Pork
  • 2 lb pork belly (or pork butt, shoulder)
  • 8 cups water
  • 1.5 Tbsp doenjang or miso, Korean soy bean paste
  • 3 piecs ginger 1 pc = 2 grams, fresh
  • 2 tsp coffee beans
Kimchi Radish Salad (or Stuffing)
  • 1 lb radish (Korean or daikon)
  • 4 Tbsp red chili powder aka gochukaru
  • 1.5 Tbsp fermented salted shrimp (saewoojeot)
  • 1.5 Tbsp anchovy sauce (myeolchi aekjeot)
  • 3 Tbsp garlic (chopped)
  • 0.5 tsp ginger (grated)
  • 1.5 Tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 tsp salt sea salt
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds (roasted)
  • 2 green onions (sliced)
  • 2 oz Water Dropwort optional, minari

Instructions

For Pickling Cabbage Leaves:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix water and Korean cheonilyeom sea salt to make brine.
  2. Cut head of napa cabbage to loosen leaves to total about 1/2 of the cabbage. You can also just cut cabbage in half and use one side.
  3. Immerse cabbage leaves in brine made in 1 and let it pickle for 1 1/2 hrs or until cabbage is soft and shriveled. You don't need to fully pickle the leaves like for kimchi - I kind of like it a little less pickled with a little crunch left but it's up to you.
  4. Drain cabbage for 10-15 minutes until fully drained. If you are not going to use right away, refrigerate up to 3 days and use later.
  5. When serving, cut cabbage into 1/2 lengthwise to make it easier to eat.
For Pork:
  1. In a pot add water, add doenjang, fresh ginger and bring to boil.
  2. Add pork and cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes(for 1 lb) until it becomes tender enough for a fork to go in easily. You may need to cook longer up to an hour if you are increasing the amount of pork.
  3. Take pork out of the pot and let it cool for few minutes and then loosely cover with wrap or foil until it cools enough for you to slice. Reason for covering is so that it doesn't dry out while cooling. If you can, it's yummiest when you eat the pork while it's warm.
For Radish Kimchi Salad/Stuffing (Kimchi sok):
  1. Julienne radish - either with knife or use a mandoline.
  2. Cut green onions and minari (water dropwart) if you have it.
  3. In a small bowl, make seasoning paste by mixing Korean red chili powder, saewoojeot, anchovy sauce, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, sugar, salt except for sesame seeds.
  4. Add kimchi seasoning paste to bowl with radish and coat radish evenly with the paste. It may feel like it's too dry at first but radish juice will soon make it very wet.
  5. Add green onions and minari and mix again. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top when serving.
  6. *** If you want to add oysters, you need to increase salt level by adding more seasoning.
  7. Serve bossam all in one plate with pork belly slices on one side, cabbage leaves and spicy radish salad on the other side. You can of course serve all of them separately too.

Notes

  • Use Korean aged sea salt (cheonilyeom) to pickle the cabbage for best flavor and to avoid bitterness.
  • The pork simmering time varies with cut and weight; cook until fork-tender, usually about 30 minutes per pound.
  • Lightly pickle cabbage leaves until they are tender yet still hold some crunch for wrapping.
  • Reserve some cooking broth to moisten pork slices before serving if needed.
  • Serve Bossam warm for optimal tenderness and flavor.
  • Leftover pork can be reheated in a pan on medium heat without oil to maintain moisture and texture.
  • You can add fresh oysters to the radish salad, adjusting seasoning accordingly to maintain balanced flavor.
  • Include ssamjang, fermented shrimp, and additional greens for a complete traditional Bossam experience.

Nutrition Information

Calories 840kcal (42%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 17g (34%) Fat 81g (125%) Saturated Fat 29g (145%) Cholesterol 114mg (38%) Sodium 881mg (37%) Potassium 616mg (13%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 1675IU (34%) Vitamin C 14.3mg (16%) Calcium 83mg (8%) Iron 2.3mg (13%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 840

% Daily Value*

Calories 840kcal 42%
Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 17g 34%
Fat 81g 125%
Saturated Fat 29g 145%
Cholesterol 114mg 38%
Sodium 881mg 37%
Potassium 616mg 13%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1675IU 34%
Vitamin C 14.3mg 16%
Calcium 83mg 8%
Iron 2.3mg 13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.