Bossam (Korean Boiled Pork Belly) with Kimchi

Symptom check-in

• POTS: None.

• Vestibular migraine: None.

• Lupus: I've been in a flare since Tuesday. My face has been flushed and tender and I had a low grade fever yesterday that made me cancel everything I had planned. Today was a little better but my energy was still completely gone by midday.

• Disorder safety check

Condition	Works?	Why
POTS	—	This meal doesn't specifically target POTS symptoms
Vestibular migraine	—	This meal doesn't specifically target vestibular migraine symptoms
Lupus	Yes	Boiling the pork belly removes a lot of the saturated fat making it easier on the body during a flare; kimchi is a fermented food that supports gut health, and emerging research links gut microbiome balance to reduced lupus disease activity

Ingredients (makes 3 to 4 servings)

Pork belly

• 800g pork belly, whole

• 1 litre water

• 1 tbsp doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) or miso

• 5 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced

• 2 green onions

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• 1 tbsp soju or rice wine (optional but helps with smell)

To serve

• 1 cup kimchi, cut into large pieces

• Sesame seeds to finish

• Perilla leaves or lettuce leaves for wrapping (optional)

• Fermented shrimp (saeujeot) or ssamjang for dipping (optional)

Steps

1. Blanch the pork — Place the pork belly in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the pork under cold water. This step removes impurities and any gamey smell.

2. Simmer the pork — Return the pork to the pot with 1 litre of fresh water. Add the doenjang, garlic, ginger, green onions, peppercorns, and soju. Bring to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes until the pork is completely tender when pierced with a chopstick. Top up with water if needed to keep the pork submerged.

3. Rest and slice — Remove the pork from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This is important — cutting it too soon makes it fall apart messily. Slice into pieces about 5mm thick against the grain. You'll get two textures — the fattier layered pieces and the leaner meatier pieces.

4. Plate — Arrange the pork slices on one side of a wide plate. Cut the kimchi into large chunks and pile it on the other side. Scatter sesame seeds over everything.

5. How to eat it — The traditional way is to take a piece of pork, lay it on a perilla or lettuce leaf, add a piece of kimchi and a small spoonful of ssamjang, and eat it as a wrap in one bite. But honestly it's just as good eaten straight off the plate.