Korean Grilled Cabbage Leaf Wraps
Quick answer
- Total time
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Baechu kimchi gui ssam takes napa cabbage to the grill, charring the leaves before using them as wraps for grilled pork belly and doenjang-based ssam sauce.
Read more
A whole cabbage is halved lengthwise, brushed with sesame oil and sprinkled with salt, then grilled over high heat for two to three minutes per side until the outer edges char while the inner layers keep some crispness. Pork belly is grilled separately until golden and cut into bite-sized pieces. The ssam sauce - doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, and sesame oil mixed together - is spread on a grilled leaf, topped with pork, and rolled into a wrap. Each bite combines the smoky sweetness of the charred cabbage, the fatty richness of the pork, and the salty, fermented punch of the sauce. Grilled cheongyang chili on the side adds extra heat. The cabbage must not stay on the grill beyond the recommended time or it loses all structure and collapses into mush, making it impossible to use as a wrap. Unlike lettuce or perilla leaf, napa cabbage shrinks under heat and concentrates moisture inside the leaf, which allows it to absorb pork fat naturally as it wraps around the meat.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Dry and spread out 6 cabbage leaves.
Lightly press only the thick stem sections with the back of a knife so the leaves contact the grill evenly.
- 2Control
Heat the grill or grate well over high heat before adding the cabbage.
Grill each leaf for only 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning as soon as the outside chars and smells smoky.
- 3Heat
Remove the cabbage while the inner layers still feel crisp, and lay the leaves without stacking them.
If they release a lot of moisture or sag heavily, they have cooked too far for wrapping.
- 4Season
Mix 2 tablespoons doenjang, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 0.5 teaspoon sesame oil evenly.
Loosen the doenjang first so the salty flavor does not concentrate in one spot.
- 5Heat
Cut 200 g grilled pork belly into 2 to 3 cm pieces, and lightly grill the Korean chili before slicing it.
Keep the pork warm, because the fat firms as it cools and makes the wrap less juicy.
- 6Finish
Spread a thin layer of ssamjang on each cabbage leaf, then add pork belly and chili.
Fold in both sides, roll firmly around the filling, and serve immediately while the cabbage is still warm and flexible.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Grilling cabbage 2 to 3 minutes per side over high heat leaves charred aroma and a crisp center
- Finish cue
- Spread a thin layer of ssamjang on each cabbage leaf, then add pork belly and chili.
- Avoid this
- Grill cabbage leaves briefly - overcooking releases moisture and makes them limp.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
20min, 6 ingredients
Category median
32min, 8 ingredients
Based on 173 recipes
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