#lettucewraps Archives

Grilled Pork #2 Belly up to the Table for Some Delicious Pork and Conversation

By threejamigos | June 11, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

The kids were all home for a couple of days, which is a miracle in itself, so we threw a party! Really, it was to celebrate the twins’ graduation from college (boy that went fast) and the end of tuition days. I polled the kids to see what they wanted for eats, after all, that’s the Asian mom way of saying I love you…” what would you like to eat?” and the response was “anything, Mom”. Ugh, no help.
Maybe I needed a theme? Comfort foods? Where they have been and where they are going? Hmm, that had potential. So I went with it.

Where they have been: Where they are going

Houston, Texas for Jamie….Queso!!! You need munchies at a party so Queso and tortilla chips would be perfect. Besides, she is moving to Minneapolis and cheese is HUGE there too right? Anyone care for some cheese curds?
Nashville, Tennessee for Jordan, hmmm…bbq! To combine it with where Jordan is going, Korea, I decided on Grilled Pork Belly and Khal Bi (marinated Beef cross-cut ribs). I just killed two birds with one stone! I’m a genius, lol.

Black Rice and Marinated Pork Belly waiting for the grill to fire up.

The food was casual, friendly, and easy, mostly family favorites. I pulled out my Somen Salad recipe, perfect for a crowd and the warm weather. We fired up the grill for the Khal bi (marinated beef ribs) and Spicy Grilled Pork Belly. Jorge put out the tortilla chips with the Queso Dip, salsa, and Wes’s famous tuna dip. Bowls of fresh berries from the Farmer’s Market rounded out the menu. For the grand finale, Jamie made a DELICIOUS banana cake (nooo, forgot to take a photo of it) filled with a chocolate ganache and covered with Cream Cheese Frosting.

We all gathered around the table to eat, gab, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Isn’t that what it is all about?

The Spicy Grilled Pork Belly was a hit. The pork is cut into thick slices similar to thick-cut bacon and marinated in chili sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. I adapted the recipe from the blog Barefoot in the Kitchen and it is SUPER SIMPLE and delicious! We served it with purple rice, Gochuchang (Korean chili paste) and lettuce to be wrapped like a taco.

Purple Rice, Purple Rice

The purple rice is novel and fun and requires nothing extra except for 2 tablespoons of black rice mixed with your regular rice. As it cooks the rice turns a really cool shade of purple. Your friends will think exotic and fancy, take the credit with a smile. Regular short grain rice would work and for carb haters, cauliflower rice is a great sub. The pork would also make a screamin’ slider. Top sliders with Siracha mayo and an Asian slaw of cabbage, onions, and pickled ginger. YUM.

Spicy Grilled Pork Belly

Grilled Pork belly, sweet, salty, spicy and delicious!

Course Main Course, Meat, pork

Cuisine Asian, Fusion

Keyword bbq, gochujang, Pork Belly

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 pound pork belly thick sliced (you can find it at most Asian markets)

Marinade

2 tablespoons soy sauce pref Sempio 707
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons chili paste use either Siracha with garlic or Gochuchang chili pepper paste
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 -1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The Finish

1 head of red lettuce or butter lettuce
Chili pepper paste Gochuchang
Toasted Sesame seeds
Green onions
Rice

Instructions

Remove the skin from the pork belly and slice the meat into 1/8" - 1/4" wide strips. If you don't have access to already cut pork belly.
Stir together the soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, chili paste, sugar, sesame oil, pepper and salt in a mixing bowl.
Place the meat in the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat thoroughly. Marinate for 1 hour.
Preheat the grill to HIGH. Grill the strips of pork belly for 2 minutes, flip and grill another 2-3 minutes.
When the pork has cooked through, remove from the grill and place it on a paper towel lined tray.
Sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds to garnish
Serve with rice, lettuce and pepper paste for wraps or in a roll as a sandwich or tortilla as a taco with an Asian slaw and siracha mayo.

That’s a Wrap, Happy Hour Time! (Korean Tacos)

By threejamigos | June 8, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Jamie is in Atlanta for the summer working but fortunately she will be coming home for a couple of weeks. I miss my Happy Hour buddy. We both agree happy hours are the best of all worlds. It’s much more relaxed than throwing a dinner party. People come and go as they please and help themselves to food and drink, it’s all good. The food is casual and the attire is flips and anything comfortable. It’s all about chillin’ with friends and family. You can hang outside so don’t bother cleaning the house, noone cares, especially after a couple of wine coolers.

Luckily for us, we finally landscaped our yard. Yay. Years of drought and an invasion of gophers left our yard looking like a moonscape of dirt, holes and mutant weeds. It was bad. We called gopherbusters (not really their name but that’s what they do) and a gardener and got to work. In my defense, I grew up in San Francisco. The ratio of cement to grass is like a bajillion to one. Lawn mower? Never seen one much less owned one. But the yard is done, PARTY TIME.

Just need Jamie to come home.

In anticipation of when she does, I have been checking out recipes that would be perfect for our little casual soirees’. Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps from SkinnyTaste caught my eye. SkinnyTaste started out as a blog on healthy seasonal cooking your family will love and has blossomed into a full fledge book. The Korean wraps remind me of a Chinese appetizer, San Choy Bao, which literally means lettuce bun, think of it as an Asian Taco. The filling is seasoned Korean BBQ style which I happen to LOVE. Each bite is sweet, salty, spicy and the lettuce adds a refreshing crunch. It’s a party in your mouth. The original recipe calls for brown rice but if you are going low carb like I SHOULD be, you can substitute squash, diced carrots, zoodles or sautéed mushrooms.

We are serious about our happy hour bites and this dish meets the rigorous criteria we set for a date with a wine cooler or bottle of ice cold beer.

STRINGENT Happy Hour Food Standards:

Bite sized- check (2 bites)

Eat with your hands- check

Its YUMMY- check

It’s STUPID EASY- check

4 out of 4! Lets go make some wraps.

Print Pin

That's a Wrap! (Korean Style Lettuce Wraps)

Ingredients

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
cooking spray
1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

FOR WRAPS

12 large outer lettuce leaves such as green leaf Bibb lettuce or even iceberg lettuce which creates a nice round bowl
2 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons Gochujong or more if desired
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds plus more for topping
2 sliced scallions white and green parts

Instructions

Filling:

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and chili flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat non-stick pan over medium high heat, add small amount of vegetable oil, add onions to pan and cook for 1-2 minute. Add garlic and ginger, sauce for additional minute before adding ground chicken to pan. Break up the chicken with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Cook until the chicken loses its pinkness.
Add sauce ingredients to pan and stir to incorporate, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer mixture another 5 minutes.

In place of brown rice:

Sauteed diced zucchini, mushrooms
Kid friendly version use corn or cooked zucchini zoodles

To Serve:

You can set up a serve yourself taco bar or assemble each wrap.

In each lettuce leaf place 2 tablespoons of rice or prepared vegetables
Top with approximately 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture
Garnish with a dab of Gochujong or Siracha sauce, green onions and sesame seeds.
Serve immediately.