Korean Rice Cake "Lasagna"

Directions

1. Make the pork mixture: Mix ground pork with cornstarch. In a nonstick pot, heat sesame and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the pork is broken up into small bits and slightly browned on the edges. Meanwhile, in a tall cup (usually comes with your immersion blender) or high-speed blender, blend apple, garlic, shallot, soy sauce, fish sauce, black pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn into a smooth paste. Add to the ground pork and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the excess moisture has evaporated, and the mixture is deeply caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. Make the gochujang sauce: Mix gochujang, yogurt, milk, maple syrup and mustard together until smooth; set aside.
3. Make the green béchamel: In the same blender or cup, add the chives, milk, and heavy cream; blend until smooth. In a sauce pot, cook butter and flour over medium heat until foamy, about 1 minute. Take it off heat, and whisk in the chive-milk mixture. Once mixed smoothly, return to the heat and bring to a simmer. Add fish sauce and nutmeg and cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
4. Make the gochugaru oil: In a bowl, combine the chile flakes, grated garlic, and sesame oil; set aside.
5. Assemble the lasagna: In a deep rectangular baking dish (about 12x9-inches), coat the bottom with a thin layer of gochujang sauce, then arrange a single layer of rice cakes (some overlapping is fine). Then apply another layer of gochujang sauce, scatter the pork mixture in a single layer, then another thin layer of green bechamel sauce, and finally spread a thin layer of shredded cheese. Repeat this process until you’re done with all the ingredients. Cover the top with the rest of the shredded cheese and spoon the gochugaru oil in dollops over the top. Cover loosely with aluminum foil without it touching the cheese. (You can prepare this a few hours ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.)
6. Heat the oven to 355°F/180°C with a rack fitted in the center of the oven. Bake this on top of a baking sheet (to prevent oil bubbling over the baking dish) in the middle rack for 1 hour until bubbly and slightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven. (You can torch the surface for a better caramelized cheese look.) Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 9 equal portions (I find scissors work better than knives in this situation) and serve immediately.