Home » Pork » Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps)

Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps)

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.

Apple Infused Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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.

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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!

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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.

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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.

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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

Ingredients for Apple Infused Bossam (Serves 2 to 3)

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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.)

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

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.

Apple Infused Korean Pork Wraps (Bossam) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

Love Korean food? Browse lots more Korean recipes from my easy Korean recipe collections. And subscribe to my newsletter for all of the latest updates including new recipes, what MKK communities are cooking and K-Dramas!

Apple Infused Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps) | MyKoreanKitchen.com

Bossam (Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps)

Easy and delicious apple infused Korean bossam recipe.
4 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate Save
Course: Main
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: bossam, korean boiled pork
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 3
Calories: 1869kcal
Author: Sue | My Korean Kitchen

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

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories: 1869kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 177g | Saturated Fat: 64g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 1241mg | Potassium: 1040mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 13.9mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 3.1mg

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.

Tried this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Rate this recipe with a comment below and tag me on Instagram @MyKoreanKitchen.
Filed under: My Recipes, Pork
Tagged with: bossam, doenjang, pork, ssam, wrap

Written by: Sue

Last Updated:

Welcome to my Korean kitchen! I’m so happy that you're here. I am Sue, the creator behind My Korean Kitchen (since 2006). I love good food and simplifying recipes. Here you will find my best and family approved recipes. Thanks for stopping by!

NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE

Join 20,000+ other Korean food lovers! Get the latest recipes from My Korean Kitchen delivered to your email inbox. It's free!

I will only send you emails related to My Korean Kitchen. Unsubscribe at any time.

Copyright: Unless otherwise noted, all photography and content on this site is the intellectual property of Sue Pressey of My Korean Kitchen. Please do not copy and/or paste full recipes and images to any social media channels or websites without my prior written consent. This is strictly prohibited. You may however, use a single image and a summary of my article in your own words, provided that proper attribution is given to myself and an appropriate link back to my original recipe. Thank you.

Disclosure: My Korean Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Subscribe
Notify of
Rate This Recipe With Your Comment




6 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Nat
March 19, 2023 5:59 pm

Omg my son and I could not stop eating this sssssoooo yummy thank you

Sam
November 10, 2016 2:10 am

Could I use pork shoulder, country style pork ribs or a different cut instead of pork belly? It’s too much fat for me.

Ree
December 9, 2015 5:45 pm

erm.. what do we do with the stock? Is it possible to make it as soup?

Ree
December 10, 2015 1:53 pm
Reply to  Sue

Yea I am not a fan of oil floating soup too but usually i skim the foam/oil off.
Hmm… and its with apples so.. perhaps a base stock for Japanese curry? haha

NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE

Join 20,000+ other Korean food lovers!

Get the latest recipes from My Korean Kitchen delivered to your email inbox. It's free!

Connect

NEVER MISS A NEW RECIPE

Join 20,000+ other Korean food lovers! Get the latest recipes from

My Korean Kitchen delivered to your email inbox. It's free!