Spicy stir-fried pork and kimchi

Today I’m going to introduce you to dwaeji-kimchi duruchigi, stir-fried pork with kimchi. This is a spicy, savory, delicious dish that is easy to make and is great party food to share with many people. The combination of well-fermented kimchi and succulent pork creates a harmonious blend of spiciness and meatiness. Everyone can enjoy this, and especially if you like spicy food you will love it!

Probably you are wondering what duruchigi means. It means stir fried but also with a bit of broth. The broth is much less than you’d find in a stew or soup, so you can eat this ssam style by wrapping a bite in a lettuce or cabbage leaf, along with rice. Alternatively, you can combine it directly with rice and blend the flavors before eating. I like to use the inner leaves of napa cabbage (the same cabbage we use for making kimchi) which are yellow and have a bit of sweetness.

This dish is popular in Korean restaurants these days but it’s also a a home cooked meal that every Korean family knows and loves. At Korean restaurants it’s cooked on a gas burner on the table. If you have that kind of burner you can do it at home that way too. Cook the pork and kimchi in a pan on your stovetop first and then transfer it to your tabletop gas burner on the table and add the vegetables, mushrooms, seasoning paste and water. Cover and boil for 10 to 12 minutes and then eat. If you don’t have a tabletop burner you can cook everything on the stovetop like I do in the video.

Koreans usually make this with pork belly (you can also use pork shoulder) but you can also use a lean cut of beef or even chicken breast. Just be sure to add some oil when you stir fry, because they don’t have the fat that pork belly does and will stick to the pan otherwise. Careful when you stir fry the pork, it should be medium heat. If the heat is too high the pork will burn and stick to the pan!

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 7 days. When you want some, just reheat and eat.

Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 pound of pork belly (or chicken, or beef), cut into ¼ inch thick bite size pieces
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 pound fermented kimchi, chopped
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 medium size onion, cut into chunks
• 1 dae-pa (Korean large green onion) or 4 green onions, cut into 1 inch long pieces
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• 1 small bunch of enoki mushrooms (pangyee-beoseot in Korean), trimmed and washed (about 1 cup)
• Lettuce or inner part of Napa cabbage leaves, washed and drained (optional)
• One sunny-side-up egg per person (optional)

For seasoning paste

• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
• 2 tablespoons gochu-garu (Korean hot pepper flakes)
• 2 tablespoons rice syrup (or corn syrup, or sugar) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Mix seasoning paste

1. Combine gochujang, gochu-garu, rice syrup, soy sauce, water, garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl. Mx well and set aside.

Stir fry

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the pork, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir for about 5 to 6 minutes until the pork is no longer pink and is slightly cooked.

2. Add kimchi and stir in for about 6 to 7 minutes.

3. Add onion, carrot, green onion, and the seasoning paste. Add 1½ cups water. Cover and cook for 12 to 13 minutes over medium heat until the pork cooks thoroughly and tender. Occasionally stir well with a wooden spoon.

4. Uncover and add the mushrooms on top as well as the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

5. Turn up the heat to medium high heat and let cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes uncovered.
6. Remove from the heat and serve right away.

How to serve

1. Place the pork kimchi duruchigi in the center of table with a large serving spoon.
2. Diners take some duruchigi in their own bowl, mix it with some rice, a sunny-side-up egg, and eat. You can also wrap some in a lettuce or Napa cabbage leaf and enjoy it that way too!

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