Korean Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps. Delicious tender pork belly wrapped in fresh perilla and lettuce leaves with smoky ssamjang sauce and pickled veggies. A quick and simple weeknight meal idea in 15 minutes!
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This is a scrumptious meal idea that is quick and simple with minimal cooking! It can be enjoyed by the whole family in little time. It's a popular dish served at Korean BBQ restaurants. (Not a meat eater? Check out my Korean Mushroom Lettuce Wraps).
Traditionally, at Korean restaurants, you would grill the juicy pork belly at the dining table on a cast iron grill, while you and your friends converse and enjoy the banchans (aka side dishes in Korean translation), like Korean Corn Cheese or Korean Seafood Pancake.
You have the freedom to grill the meat to your desired texture (from soft to crispy on the edges). To enjoy this dish, Koreans will usually stuff the whole lettuce wrap into their mouths so all the flavors meld into one!
This Korean pork belly wrap is very similar to bossam (another Korean dish). However, the main difference is bossam features a very thick cut of sliced pork belly that is boiled in a seasoned brine wrapped in pickle napa cabbage along with a variety of other ingredients.
Pork belly is a very popular meat in Korea. It was a cut of meat that they first didn’t know what to do with in the early 1980’s and then they started to cook with it in a variety of ways: pan frying to grilling or steaming under the ground! Now it’s used in many recipes like in ramen, Kimchi Fried Rice, Kimchi Jjigae and more.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.Â
- Pork belly: make sure to get the thinly sliced kind at the grocery store.
- Red Green Leaf Lettuce: or substitute with any soft green lettuce like butter leaf lettuce or even romaine lettuce can work.
- Ssamjang: this is a Korean sauce that is spicy, savory and nutty. It's made of fermented soybean paste with gochujang and other seasoning ingredients. The literal translation of this ingredient is "wrapping sauce". Most Korean grocery stores will sell this in the sauce aisle and it comes in a pale green tub. If you can not find this, substitute with equal parts gochujang and doenjang with a drizzle of sesame oil.
- Fresh perilla leaves: this is a green pointy spade-shaped leaf that is very popular in Korean cuisine. You can find this leaf at most Korean grocers in the fresh produce section.
- Pickled kimchi radish or well-fermented kimchi: either work well for this recipe so use what's accessible to you. Most Korean grocers will sell pickle kimchi radish near the refrigerated kimchi section. If you're buying kimchi for this recipe, get the "mat" kind which means that the kimchi is precut for you to make things easier.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh thinly sliced pork belly that you can find at your grocer. They are popularly sold at Korean grocers.
- Don't skip on the ssamjang. It really takes the pork lettuce wrap to the next level!
- Purchase thinly cut pork belly for a crispy texture, it should be about ¾ cm thick.
- For crispy pork belly, fry the pork belly until golden brown on the edges.
- For softer pork belly with a tender chew, cook just until the pork is no longer pink and is grey and remove off the heat immediately.
- Buy fresh greens! This is especially important for a crispy lettuce wrap.
- Prepare your greens just before serving so they don’t go soggy or room temperature.
- Assemble your wraps however you like! I usually like to place a perilla leaf onto the lettuce wrap, then I’ll spread some ssamjang followed by the pickled radish or kimchi and then the hot pork belly on top.
How to make Korean Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps
Prepare Perilla Leaves
Before you wash your perilla leaves, take about 20 pieces and together slice off the stems together. This is easier than slicing the stems off individually. Shake off any excess water and dry them off with clean paper towels. Transfer to a serving plate.
Prepare Lettuce Leaves
Then separate and wash 20 lettuce leaves, shake off excess water and dry them with paper towel. Transfer to a serving plate.
Prepare Sauce & Pickled Kimchi
Prepare ssamjang and pickled radish or kimchi by placing enough in serving dishes. Set up the components at your dining table.
Prepare & Cook Pork Belly
Slice pork belly strips into 20 equal strips, about 2-3 inches long.
Then in a large frying pan or grilling plate on medium heat, fry the pork belly pieces. For tender pork belly: only cook for 45-60 seconds on each side until cooked and no longer pink. For crispy chewy pork belly: fry on each side for 2-3 minutes until golden crispy brown.
Tip: To keep the pork belly warm for a more delicious wrap. You can do this by keeping the pork on the pan on very low heat or removing the pork belly off the pan and placing it on a plate covered with tin foil.
Assemble & Enjoy!
In the palm of your hand, place a perilla leaf into the lettuce wrap. Spread a thumb size of ssamjang sauce into the perilla leaf. Top off with pickled radish or kimchi and a slice of cooked pork belly. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I would suggest storing the component separately.
To reheat the pork belly, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.Â
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📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Korean Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 0.55 lb pork belly thinly sliced kind
- 2 heads lettuce red green leaf lettuce or sub with butter leaf lettuce/romaine lettuce
- 20 perilla leaves washed and dried with stem sliced off
- Ssamjang store bought kind and use as needed
- kimchi radish or well-fermented kimchi cabbage (as needed)
Instructions
- Before you wash your perilla leaves, take about 20 pieces and together slice off the stems together. This is easier than slicing the stems off individually. Shake off any excess water and dry them off with clean paper towels. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Then separate and wash 20 lettuce leaves, shake off excess water and dry them with paper towel. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Prepare ssamjang and pickled radish or kimchi by placing enough in serving dishes. Set up the components at your dining table.
- Slice pork belly strips into 20 equal strips, about 2-3 inches long. Then in a large frying pan or grilling plate on medium heat, fry the pork belly pieces. For tender pork belly:Â only cook for 45-60 seconds on each side until cooked and no longer pink. For crispy chewy pork belly: fry on each side for 2-3 minutes until golden crispy brown. Tip: To keep the pork belly warm for a more delicious wrap. You can do this by keeping the pork on the pan on very low heat or removing the pork belly off the pan and placing it on a plate covered with tin foil.
- In the palm of your hand, place a perilla leaf into the lettuce wrap. Spread a thumb size of ssamjang sauce into the perilla leaf. Top off with pickled radish or kimchi and a slice of cooked pork belly. Enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
This looks so good. Pork belly is so rich and flavorful all by itself, but then the sauce and pickled radish you added really send the flavors over the top!
Lily
Is there anything I can use as a substitute for the Ssamjang? I do not have a Korean or Chinese grocery anywhere near me. I do have gochujang and doenjang in my fridge right now, as well as a number of other Chinese and Korean condiments. No perilla leaves either, unfortunately, but I've prepped the pickled veg and I have leaf lettuce. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
christieathome
Gochujang is a great substitute, but I would mix it with equal parts sesame oil, rice vinegar and honey and add more of each ingredient to taste. Hope this helps!
Kate
Dumb question, but is it 66 calories per wrap? 🙂 I notice some recipes say servings as *number* wraps and such. Thanks!
christieathome
Not a dumb question at all! Yes it's 66 calories per wrap 🙂