What is Korea without Kimchi? It is a staple in many of their traditional dishes, it is so common to find it in all their meals as a side dish. It is usually made out of Napa cabbage, radish, some carrots and fused together with the red hot chili flake known as Gochugaru.
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Here we learn the most basic kimchi, it is a great introduction to fermentation and a great dish to make for any meal. So get your jars out and clear out a shelf because your whole kitchen is going to smell like kimchi soon.
Tau Yu Bak
Tau Yu Bak or light soy sauce braised pork belly. Soft tender chunks of pork belly, to the point of falling apart. A very simple dish that is braised to perfection, with a sauce that is so savory and so delicious that you will just leave you coming back for more. A sweet and savoury sauce that penetrates deep into the meat, leaving you with a mouth watering, jaw dropping tender piece of pork belly.
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Perfect over some rice, over some noodles or with some steamed man tou or steamed bao buns. The soft sweet fluffy buns jut make for such a great pair with this soft tender savory meat.
How to Make it Extra Tender?
1.
Peel and crush 6 cloves of garlic and peel and slice 1 thumb sized piece of ginger.
2.
In a pot add in enough oil to cover the base of the pot and heat it up to high heat.
3.
Once hot add in 1 tablespoon of fried shallots, your 6 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger and 1 tea spoon of five spice powder.
Ingredients
1.
500g Pork Belly
2.
1/3 Cup Light Soy Sauce
3.
1/3 Cup Dark Soy Sauce
4.
6 Cloves Garlic
5.
1tb Fried Shallots
6.
1ts Five Spice Powder
7.
6 Pieces Spring Onion
8.
Thumb Size Ginger
9.
15g Rock Sugar
4.
Once fragrant add in your pork belly skin side down and press down try to get a nice char onto your pork belly to release all of its fat in the skin.
5.
Once nicely seared add in 1/3 cup of light soy sauce, 1/3 cup of dark soy sauce and 15g of lump/rock sugar. Give the whole thing a good mix together.
6.
Add in 6 pieces of whole spring onions and enough water to cover the mixture.
7.
Ensure the skin side is faced down, cover with a lid leaving a small gap and lower the heat to low and let it simmer away for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
8.
After that long wait you should be greeted with a fragrant tender piece of pork belly that I know you will love.
Enjoy over some fresh rice or some steamed bao buns.