Gimme kimchi

An easy main dish comes together with leftover kimchi and store-bought sliced pork belly. Found in many Asian stores, and always in Korean markets, the thinly sliced pork looks like bacon, but it is not smoked. If you cannot find it, use bacon as a substitute.

The tasty pork is flavored with won bok kimchi, mushrooms, onion and many seasonings you probably have them in your pantry — soy sauce, sesame oil and gochujang (Korean chile paste). If you have Korean plum extract, that adds a little bit of sweetness. But you can also add corn syrup or sugar.

Ingredients are stir-fried until they come together in a tasty spicy stew that is perfect over hot rice or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Kimchi Pork

Ingredients:
• 1/2 pound sliced pork belly
• 1/2 onion, sliced tip to root
• 1-1/2 cups won bok kimchi
• 10-12 ounces mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons plum extract or corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
• Optional garnish: chopped or slivered green onions

Directions:
Cut pork belly into 1-inch pieces. In a skillet on medium-high heat, cook the pork for 4 minutes. Slice onion from tip to root and add to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes more, then add kimchi with onions. Add gochujang, soy sauce, plum extract, sesame oil and water, and cook for 5 minutes more until onions are tender.

Garnish with green onions if desired and serve hot with rice or lettuce leaves.

Serves 4 as a main dish.

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