Kimchi Rice grits w/ Crispy Porkbelly
I simply wanted a recipe that had a southern African American influence and this was it.
Growing up, grits were a staple in our household. They were universal. You could eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Combine them with sausage, shrimp, gravy, cheese, sugar and of course butter. I had been researching how to add African American influence to Korean food and this was absolutely perfect.
I consider pork belly to be the sweet, older sister of bacon. It’s absolutely wonderful. There’s nothing to hate about pork belly or regular bacon. Combine the flavor of pork belly to kimchi rice grits. These are grits that are created from broken rice. Not the actual grainy grits we would normally find in American grocery stores. Combined with a chicken broth, finely chopped kimchi, kimchi juice, makes this one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. Add a few radish and green onions, you will be back for seconds and thirds. I really believe the flavor of the Kimchi combined with the broth and broken rice are a perfect combination. Just think about all of the flavors in Kimchi.
Ingredients:
Thinly sliced Pork belly,
Jasine rice
Food processor/ Bullet- We will use this to grind the rice into broken pieces.
1 cup of Chicken Broth
1/2 cup water
1-2 cups of Kimchi- chopped
1/4 cup of Kimch sauce
1 bunch green onions
Radishes for garnishing
In a pot on medium heat, add water and chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Using a food processor or bullet, add 1 -2 cups of rice and blend for 10-20 seconds. You don;t want grainy rice. Your rice should have a broken consistency.
Slowly add broken rice to a simmering pot of water and broth. Constantly siring as rice is added. Reduce heat to low. You will need to constantly stir to avoid rice sticking to the bottom of the pot. I can’t stress the importance of making sure you are constantly stirring to avoid clumps in your rice. Add additional water/ broth as needed.
Rice should begin to thicken after 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Add in kimchi and Kimchi sauce and combine.
Once thoroughly cooked, reduce heat to low to maintain warmth.
In a separate pan, add 1-2 tbs of olive oil and add pre-sliced pork belly and fry/cook evenly on both sides. You can add brown sugar to your pork belly to get a caramelized color and add a bit of sweetness.
Remove Pork belly and slice into even pieces.
In a bowl, add Kimchi Rice grits and top with sliced pork belly. Garnish with Radish and green onions and enjoy.
