Stir-fried spicy pork (jeyuk bokkeum)

This stir-fried spicy dish is loved by young and old. It’s a very easy recipe to prepare – and go ahead and cook extra to keep in the fridge for lunch or dinner the next day.

Credit: Billy Law

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) pork shoulder
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions (scallions), cut into 5-cm (2-in) lengths
• vegetable oil, for frying

Marinade

• 135 g (5 oz/½ cup) Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
• 1 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
• 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice (or white) vinegar
• 2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tbsp Korean rice syrup (ssalyeot) or corn syrup, glucose or honey
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5-cm (2-in) piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

Freezing time: 1 hour

Marinating time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. Put the pork in the freezer for about 1 hour to allow it to partially freeze and firm up, then slice the pork against the grain into 3-mm (⅛-in) thick slices. Combine the sliced pork, onion and spring onion in a large bowl and set aside.
2. To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the marinade over the pork and, using your hands (wear food preparation gloves if necessary), rub the marinade into the meat until it is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Stir-fry the pork, in batches, for 3–4 minutes or until well browned and caramelised. Add a little more oil between batches if necessary.
4. Serve the spicy pork with a big bowl of steamed rice.

 

Recipe and images from Little Korea: Iconic Dishes and Cult Recipes by Billy Law, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.