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