Bossam (보쌈) is a classic Korean dish, and the word literally means “to wrap.”
It features tender, simmered pork belly that’s wrapped in fresh lettuce (or perilla leaves), often paired with kimchi and savory dipping sauces. It’s a dish commonly enjoyed at family gatherings or special dinners in Korea.
You might imagine pork belly as greasy, but don’t worry!
By simmering it slowly with aromatics like green onion, ginger, garlic, and cooking sake, the pork becomes tender, juicy, and pleasantly light. The fat melts down, and you’re left with flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pork that pairs perfectly with spicy kimchi and rich sauces. It’s seriously addictive!
Ingredients
| Pork belly block | 350–400g / 12–14 oz |
| Green onion, including green part | 1/2 |
| Onion | 1/2 |
| Garlic | 5 cloves |
| Ginger | 2cm |
| Cooking sake(or white wine) | 2 tbsp |
| Salt | about 10 shakes |
| Black pepper | about 5 shakes |
| Miso paste (any type is OK) | 1 tbsp |
| Water | 1L |
| To Serve with: | |
| Lettuce or perilla leaves | about 10 leaves |
| Kimchi | enough for eating |
| Dipping sauce | for 2 people – see recipe below |
How to Make
1⃣ Prep the Ingredients
Poke the pork belly with a fork to help it absorb flavor.
Cut the onion into wedges, and green onion into 2-inch (5cm) pieces.
Peel the garlic and cut in half.
Slice the ginger thinly.
2⃣ Add Everything to the Pot
In a large pot, add 1 liter (4 cups) of water, the cut vegetables (onion, green onion, garlic, ginger), cooking sake, salt, pepper, and miso.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
3⃣ Simmer the Pork
Once boiling, add the pork belly. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes on medium heat until tender.
4⃣ Make the Dipping Sauce
Prepare the bossam dipping sauce while the pork simmers.
5⃣ Slice the Pork
Once cooked, slice the pork into about 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick pieces.
6⃣ Wrap and Enjoy!
Take a lettuce leaf, place a slice of pork, add some kimchi and dipping sauce, wrap it up, and enjoy!
It’s also great served with a bowl of rice.
The simmering broth is full of flavor from the pork and aromatics.
You can sip it as a warm soup on the side, or add some cooked rice the next morning to make a comforting Korean-style porridge (juk). Perfect for breakfast!
美味しそう！と思ったらTwitter/Xでシェアしてね！作ってみたの投稿にタグをしてもらえたら更に嬉しいなぁ～！
