Introducing an apple infused bossam recipe! Bossam is a popular Korean dish that is boiled pork. When it is infused with apple and other spices, it becomes a delicious and irresistible dish! Even though it may sound fancy, this dish is actually very simple to make! Learn how to make it at home using the recipe below.
What is Bossam
Bossam is a traditional Korean dish that is made with boiled pork and other aromatic ingredients (e.g. onion, garlic, ginger and green onion etc). It is boiled until the meat is fully cooked and tender, then it is thinly sliced.
It is typically served with lettuce or napa cabbage leaves along with some spicy dipping sauce and other fresh crunchy vegetables (e.g. cucumber sticks and chilies). Fresh Kimchi Salad and Shredded Radish Kimchi are great with bossam as well.
Once these ingredients are all prepared, you simply lay down a lettuce/cabbage leaf on your palm and add the sliced pork and other side dishes you want then wrap them up and put it into your mouth. Oh, yum! It’s really delicious.
The pork is so tender and the fresh kimchi tastes so good with it! I particularly love having my bossam with some fresh oysters! These are simply the BEST combo! Oysters are quite cheap in Korea, so make sure you spoil yourself with them if you are in Korea!
Now if you think about Chef David Chang’s Momofuku Bo Ssam, which is oven baked, you will immediately notice that it’s not traditional Korean bossam. In fact, most Koreans wouldn’t even think that’s bossam.
Though I believe his recipe is what made the word Bo Ssam / Bossam so famous worldwide.
Make It Special
To elaborate on the color, texture and flavor, people often add more than just standard aromatic vegetables. I thought about adding some instant coffee powder to my bossam, as my mother does, but since I wanted my daughter to eat this dish as well, I decided not to just in case it affects her sleep! People add coffee to give the pork a brownish color and also to remove the unique pork smell.
After some thought, I decided to add a red apple. I didn’t know what effect it might have on my pork belly, but apple sounded like a good match to pork. I also added some soy sauce to give the pork a brownish color and extra flavor. And I was right! It was really good, definitely better than my old way of making it.
I also made some ssam sauce (dipping sauce) as well, instead of using a store-bought one. This made the whole experience feel more upscale. So I insist that you try my bossam recipe with my homemade ssam sauce too! (Note: Dipping sauce made with salted shrimps are also very popular to serve with bossam but I didn’t serve it on this occasion. However, you can get the recipe from my other bo ssam recipe.)
Anyway, I think my photos can speak for themselves how delicious my bossam is. 😉 I hope you give this a try soon! It will make a great party food as well. Enjoy!
Other Korean Pork Recipes You Might Like
- Spicy Pork Bulgogi Rice Bowl
- Air Fryer Korean Pork Belly
- Samgyeopsal (Korean BBQ Pork Belly)
- Spicy Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients for Apple Infused Bossam (Serves 2 to 3)
Main
- 1kg (2.2 pounds) skinless boneless pork belly, rinsed in cold water
- 1 onion, skin peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 red apple (160g/ 5.6 ounces) – I used red delicious variety, rinsed and cut in half
- 2 stalks of green onions (50g/ 1.8 ounces) – I used only the white part, rinsed and root trimmed
- 25g (0.9 ounces) fresh ginger, skin peeled and thinly sliced
- 25g (0.9 ounces) fresh garlic (about 5 cloves), skin peeled
- 1 tsp black whole pepper
- 2 Tbsp Korean soy bean paste (Doenjang)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp rice wine
- 8 cups water
Side Dishes
- Lettuce leaves, washed and stem removed
- Perilla leaves, washed and stem removed
- 1 English cucumber, washed, peeled and sliced in long sticks
- Some green chillies, washed and thinly sliced
- Some fresh oysters – rinsed
- Some fresh kimchi salad
- Some radish kimchi salad
- Homemade Korean spicy dipping sauce (Ssamjang) – Refer this recipe or buy from a store.
*1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
** If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean cooking ingredients list!
How to Make Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps)
1. Put all the main ingredients into a large pot. Boil with the lid on medium-high heat until the pork is cooked. (It takes about 1 hr.)
2. While the pot is boiling, prepare the side ingredients. (All side ingredients can be prepared during the 1 hr, except for fresh kimchi salad.)
3. Take out the meat. Cool it down for about 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Thinly slice the meat (about 1cm/0.4 inch thickness) with a knife. (You may want to use tongs to hold the meat if it’s still hot.) Serve the meat with the side ingredients.
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Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps)
Ingredients
For pork (Put these into a large pot.)
- 1 kg skinless boneless pork belly (2.2 pounds), rinsed in cold water
- 1 onion skin peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 red apple (160 g / 5.6 ounces), rinsed and cut in half, – I used red delicious variety
- 2 stalks green onions (50 g / 1.8 ounces), rinsed and root trimmed, – I used only the white part
- 25 g fresh ginger (0.9 ounces), skin peeled and thinly sliced
- 25 g fresh garlic (0.9 ounces), skin peeled
- 1 tsp black whole pepper
- 2 Tbsp Korean soybean paste , doenjang
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp rice wine
- 8 cups water
For sides
- lettuce leaves , washed and stem removed
- perilla leaves , washed and stem removed
- 1 English cucumber , washed, peeled and sliced long sticks
- Some green chilies , washed and thinly sliced
- Some fresh oysters , rinsed
- Some Fresh Kimchi salad
- Some radish Kimchi salad
- Korean spicy dipping sauce Ssamjang (Homemade or Store bought)
Instructions
- Boil the pot with the pork and ingredients with the lid on medium high heat until the pork is cooked. (It takes about 1 hr.)
- While the pot is boiling, prepare the side ingredients. (All side ingredients can be prepared during the 1 hr, except for fresh Kimchi salad.)
- Take out the meat. Cool it down for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Thinly slice the meat (about 1cm/0.4 inch thickness) with a knife. (You may want to use tongs to hold the meat if it’s still hot.) Serve the meat with the side ingredients.
Notes
- 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
- If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean cooking ingredients list!
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
