Samgyupsal (Grilled Pork Belly)

While the weather is not too hot and not too cold, it is the perfect time to take your meal outside! So, fire up your table grill and let's make SamGyupSal.
SamGyupSal is a grilled meat dish made from pork belly, or bacon. However, unlike the western counterparts, this "bacon" is not cured or smoked. Strips of this bacon are cooked on a grill, in a pan on the stovetop, or at a tableside cooker/grill. The cooked bacon is then cut into bit-size strips. Traditionally, each guest then dips a piece of samgyupsal in a sesame oil and salt mixture, wraps the meat in a piece of lettuce or Moosam with rice, and eats it. Because of our angel's allergy to sesame, we prefer to simply wrap our meat in lettuce or Moosam with rice but the result is the same .... one bite of the most Korea's most delicious finger food. That is right, go ahead and use your hands. Experts may use their chopsticks to assist, but most just sip their soju and and dig in. Nothing beats eating this outdoors with a fresh plate of summer vegetables and SamJang for dipping! Yu-u-mmy!

Samgyupsal (Grilled Pork Belly)

1 lb pork belly, sliced thick
1 head of lettuce, leaves separated and washed
Moosam
cooked rice
salt

Heat a skillet on medium.
Place a few pieces of pork belly in the hot pan.
Sprinkle with salt.
Cook until both sides are brown.
Remove meat from pan and, using kitchen shears, cut into 1 inch pieces.
Serve hot with lettuce, rice, and Moosam.

Black Pork Belly: Black pork comes from the belly of the famous Korean Black Pig of Jejudo (Jeju Island). Due to the unique farming practices, of which I will currently spare you the details, these pigs are said to be much tastier. To read more about these unique pigs see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju_Black_Pig

This month we are featuring Korean recipes as we compete for a trip to Korea with KoreaTaste.org. Please visit the AllergicAngel's Korean blog, vote for our posts and help the AllergicAngel go to Korea!.

Moosam (Pickled Daikon Radish)

Moosam is a dish made from thinly sliced daikon radish.  It is simple to make and can be prepared anywhere from a few hours to a few days ahead of serving.  Although this dish can be served with rice at any meal, it is commonly served with Samgyupsal.

Moosam (Pickled Daikon Radish)

3 inch piece of daikon radish
2 T  sugar
2 T rice vinegar
4 T water

1. Using a mandoline, slice the radish into paper thin slices.  If using a knife, slice the radish as thin as possible.  Try to keep the radish slices in a neat stack.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, vinegar and water.
3. Place the sliced radish in a bowl.
4. Pour the sugar mixture over the radish.  The radish should be covered by the liquid.  If it is not, mix another batch of liquid and add it to the bowl. 
5. Allow this mixture to stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
6. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for another hour or until serving.
7. The radish is good for one to two weeks.

This month we are featuring Korean recipes as we compete for a trip to Korea with KoreaTaste.org. Please visit the AllergicAngel's Korean blog, vote for our posts and help the AllergicAngel go to Korea!.

Rice Part Two: The Varieties

While it is common in Korea to cook beans with rice to add nutrition and flavor, it is not a tradition that we can keep in our home. Our angel is allergic to legumes. Although peanuts are the most severe allergy, other legumes are not far behind like soybeans, chickpeas, red beans, and lentils. We have not tested every bean, but we are certain that our angel's allergies extend to enough varieties of beans that it is worth avoiding them all.  This means that if we want variety in our rice, we must look elswhere. So, I turned to the over 40,000 varieties of rice* available throughout the world.  I mix the rices prior to cooking and, once they have cooked together, the result is often as beautiful as it is delicious.  Here are a few things I have learned about mixing rices:

1- By mixing rices, I can easily alter the texture, taste, and nutritional value of any meal. 

2- Most rice is serviced in rice-exclusive facilities so it lessens the chances of cross-contamination with other grains.  Some rice does share equipment with wheat and nuts so you should always read your labels carefully. 

3- Mixed rice requires a different rice to water ratio. This is often done by best guess at my house taking into account the age of the rice, whether it is whole grain and the length of the grain. Any suggestions to this effect would be greatly appreciated.

* http://www.ricegourmet.com/About_RiceVarieties.htm

Allergic Angel Favorites

2:1 Calrose rice:red rice mix

4:1 short grain rice: wild rice mix

Lundenberg Country Wild Rice mixed with medium grain rice

Lundenberg Black Japonica Rice mixed with short grain rice

For more information on the different varieties of rice, thenibble.com has a comprehensive index at:

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/rice/rice-glossary.asp

This month we are featuring Korean recipes as we compete for a trip to Korea with KoreaTaste.org. Please visit the AllergicAngel's Korean blog, vote for our posts and help the AllergicAngel go to Korea!.