Korean BBQ pork and prawn lettuce cups

Korean flavours shine in this dish of charred gochujang pork and sticky prawns tucked into crisp lettuce cups with jasmine rice, kimchi and a punchy drizzle.

Cut:
  • Portions: 4
  • Prep: 25 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating
  • cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the gochujang pork

  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) gochujang
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey or brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) black rice vinegar or white rice vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
  • 500 g pork neck steaks

For the sticky Korean prawns

  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) gochujang
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) black rice vinegar or white rice vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, finely grated
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil
  • 250 g frozen prawns, defrosted, peeled and deveined

For the drizzling sauce

  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) gochujang
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) honey
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) black rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) soy sauce

To serve

  • 1 red pepper, finely julienned
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely julienned
  • ½ baby red cabbage, finely julienned
  • 6 radishes, cut into matchsticks
  • 4 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 1 C (250 ml) kimchi, roughly chopped
  • Small handful fresh mint, leaves picked
  • 1 spring onion, green part only, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) white sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Method

For the gochujang pork:
Combine the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey or brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a bowl. Add the pork and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 3–4 hours. Remove from the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking. Heat a grill pan or heavy-based frying pan over medium-high to high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until nicely charred and cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.

For the sticky Korean prawns:
Combine the gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the prawns and cook for about 1 minute. Turn the prawns, add the sauce and toss for a further 1–2 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through or turn pink and are coated in a glossy sauce. Remove from the heat.

For the drizzling sauce:
Combine the gochujang, sesame oil, honey, black rice vinegar and soy sauce, and mix until thoroughly combined.

To serve:
Fill the lettuce cups with the red pepper, carrots, red cabbage, radishes, cucumbers and kimchi. Top with the sliced pork and sticky prawns, then drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with the mint leaves, spring onion and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestion: Serve with steamed jasmine rice on the side so everyone can add a spoonful to their lettuce cups.