Seoul bowl with crispy pork belly and pickled vegetables

Ingredients:

Pork belly

• 1 cup hot gochujang paste
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 0.5 tbsp. sesame oil
• 0.5 cups toasted white sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
• 1 piece of pork belly weighing 1.3–2.3 kg, skinless

Kimchi

• 1 head of Chinese cabbage
• 1 cup coarse salt
• 1 bottle (220 g) kimchi marinade
• 2 cups green onions, cut into 5cm pieces
• 1 cup carrots, cut into strips
• 0.5 cup chopped garlic
• 0.5 cup chopped fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup gochukaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 1/4 cup fish sauce

Korean pickled onions (yangpa jangajji)

• 2 onions, cut into 2.5 cm pieces.
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 0.5 cup soy sauce
• 0.5 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white vinegar

Pickled wakame seaweed and cucumbers

• 1 cup dried wakame seaweed
• 2 cucumbers
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

Mung bean sprout salad

• 1/4 cup coarse salt
• 450 g mung bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp. l. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp dashi powder
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced ​​green onions

Steamed white rice

• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp. round grain rice
• Special equipmentJapanese rice steamer

Preparation:

1. Pork belly:
   
   Combine gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. For a more flavorful marinade, let it marinate for 48 hours.
2. Set aside 1 cup of marinade for thickening and glazing.
3. Place the pork belly in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork belly, making sure it covers the entire surface. Cover with foil and marinate for 24–48 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Bake the pork belly for 4 hours. Remove from the marinade and let cool overnight in the refrigerator. Cut the pork into 2x8 inch (5x20 cm) strips, then slice into 0.5 cm (0.25 in) thick slices.
5. Kimchi:
   
   Quarter the cabbage, then slice into 5cm-thick pieces. Place the cabbage in a container and cover with cold water. Add salt. Cover and let sit for 12 hours to allow the cabbage to soak in the brine. Drain thoroughly. Combine the cabbage in a large bowl with the kimchi marinade, green onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, gochukara, and fish sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Divide into jars and refrigerate.
6. Korean-style pickled onions:
   
   Place the onion and jalapeño in a glass jar or container with a lid. Combine the soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and 0.5 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the onion and let cool. Refrigerate for 48 hours.
7. Pickled wakame seaweed and cucumbers:
   
   Place the wakame seaweed in a bowl and cover with cold water to moisten. Quarter the cucumbers, then slice into 1-cm-thick pieces. Drain the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let the cucumbers sit to drain for 1 hour. Bring the vinegar to a boil with the remaining cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Let cool. Squeeze the water out of the wakame, then mix it with the cucumber. Pour the marinade over the cucumbers and refrigerate overnight.
8. Mung bean sprout salad:
   
   Bring 4 cups of water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Place the mung bean sprouts in a colander in the sink. Pour salted boiling water over the sprouts, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain thoroughly. Combine the mung bean sprouts in a bowl with sesame oil, dashi, sesame seeds, pepper, and green onions and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
9. Boiled white rice:
   
   Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Place the rice in a Japanese rice steamer and add 3 cups of cold water. Cook until tender, then let it sit for 10–15 minutes.
10. Seoul Bowl:
    
    Heat a cast iron skillet. Brown the pork belly until crispy. Stir the cornstarch into a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, then add to the remaining pork belly marinade. Simmer for 1 minute.
11. Place 0.5-3/4 cups of rice in a serving bowl. Arrange the Korean pickled vegetables on top of the rice. Add 3-4 slices of pork belly. Drizzle with the thickened sauce. Sprinkle with thinly sliced ​​green onions. Assemble the remaining bowls in the same manner.