Kimchi Risotto

Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup Kimchi, minced
• 2 strips pork belly, sliced
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 - 1 ½ tbsp Gochujang red pepper paste (more if you like your food spicy)
• 1 ⅓ cup water
• ½ cup arborio rice
• Chopped scallions

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix Gochujang, minced garlic & water into the broth. Warm broth over low heat. It should be barely steaming by the time you start the risotto.
2. In a saucepan, render the fat out of the prepared pork belly. Once the pork belly is crispy, remove from the saucepan and drain excess oil on a paper towel lined dish. 
3. Cook the minced kimchi in the rendered fat for ~3 minutes or until fragrant. This is your flavor base.
4. Pour the rice into the saucepan and stir until every grain is coated in kimchi juice. Continue stirring the rice until the edges have turned translucent. You should be able to smell toasted rice at this point.
5. Begin adding the warm broth one ladle at a time. Wait to add another ladle until the broth has been almost completely absorbed by the rice. Don’t rush this process. Keep stirring so the rice doesn’t burn to the bottom of the saucepan. 
6. Beginning tasting the rice after 15 minutes to gauge how far it has cooked. Add a pinch of salt if needed. The risotto is ready when the rice is al dente and has the consistency of thick porridge. 
7. Serve immediately. Dish out and add the crispy pork belly pieces. Garnish with chopped scallions. 

Notes:
Serve immediately, the longer it sits, the thicker it gets.