Braised Pork belly Salad with Mustard Sauce

…This year, it’s not very hot in my area, and we’re enjoying cooler weather. But before summer ends, I made a pork belly salad. I paired finely marinated pork belly with various colorful vegetables and mixed them in mustard sauce. With each bite, I savor the flavors, bidding farewell to summer. Thick pork belly, a combination of our favorite meat and fat, reaches the pinnacle of richness as it explodes in the mouth. The savory, oily taste is undeniable, and when combined with the spiciness of the mustard sauce and fresh vegetables, it always gets a thumbs-up from the family during the summer.

Pork belly is particularly popular in Korean cuisine. The meat of the pork belly has a mild taste, much like the pork loin. Pork belly is used in dishes that apply slow heat and/or moist heat to achieve soft and tender meat. However, since we prefer the chewy texture of the meat rather than tenderizing it too much, we don’t spend excessive time cooking. Honestly, we often grill thinly sliced pork belly without seasoning it, directly on a pan, and then place it on lettuce along with rice and ssamjang (dipping sauce). We eat ssam that was so big it made our mouths burst. It’s truly delicious Korean-style.

Servings: 5–6

Time: 1 hour plus 30 minutes soaking pork belly in cold water

Ingredients:

1. 2.2 lb pork belly
2. 600–700g radish, cut into 6–7 pieces
3. 1 onion, cut into 3 pieces
4. 2 green onion, cut into 7 pieces
5. 1 yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned
6. 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned
7. 1 orange bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned
8. 1 radicchio, julienned
9. 2 cucumbers, julienned
10. 3 tbsp mirin
11. 1/2 tsp ginger powder
12. sea salt to taste
13. black pepper to taste

For braised pork belly sauce:

1. 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2. 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3. 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
4. 1 1/2 tbsp muscovado sugar
5. 3 tbsp rice syrup (2 tbsp for mixing the sauce, 1 tbsp for adding at the end of braising)
6. 1 1/2 tbsp mirin
7. 3/4 tsp ginger powder
8. 8–9 star anise
9. 15 black peppercorns”

For Mustard sauce:

1. 2 tsp mustard powder
2. 1 1/3 tsp water + 2 tbsp water
3. 2 tbsp sugar
4. 1 tbsp vinegar
5. 4 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
6. 4 tbsp Kozliks Triple crunch mustard
7. 1/2 tsp sea salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Remove excess blood from the pork belly and marinate with mirin, ginger powder, salt, and black pepper for about 10 minutes.

2. Heat a pot over medium-low heat and place the radish, onion, and green onion at the bottom of the pot. Arrange the marinated pork belly on top of the vegetables and cook for 20 minutes with a lid.

3. Combine the mustard powder and 1 1/3 tsp water in a bowl and mix well.

4. Place the bowl of mixed mustard on top of the pot upside down (Let it mature for 30 minutes in a hot pot).

5. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, muscovado, 2 tbsp rice syrup, mirin, and ginger powder in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

6. After 20 minutes, remove the vegetables from the pot (the meat may be half cooked).

7. Heat the pot over medium-low heat and add the braised pork sauce, star anise, and black pepper corn to the pork belly, simmering for 20 minutes until the meat is caramelized.

8. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of rice syrup over the pork belly and turn off the heat. Open the pot lid, let it cool for a moment.

9. Meanwhile, combine the matured mustard, 2 tbsp water, sugar, vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard, and sea salt in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

10. Slice all the vegetables onto a tray.

11. Slice the braised pork belly thinly.

12. Serve the sliced pork, vegetables, and mustard sauce (mix them gently before eating).

You can also view this recipe on instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwNXur9LHm3/?img_index=5