What kind of side dish looks nice and special but is very simple to make? Hot soup is a good answer but something fatty will also be a good choice, as long as it’s very delicious.
Spicy-stir fried pork is the perfect dish that I was thinking of. Just follow the recipe and make a delicious, irresistible, spicy, shiny, stir-fried pork dish in 15 minutes! I posted the video and the recipe years ago on my website, and it’s also one of my cookbook recipes, but this updated version is slightly modified and improved.
This time I used pre-cut pork sold at a Korean grocery store, but you can also just get pork belly at your local butcher and cut it into think pieces about 1/8 inch thick. You could also replace pork belly with chicken breast, slightly frozen so you can slice it thinly and nicely.
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork belly, cut into bite size pieces (1/8 inch thick)
- ¼ cup hot pepper paste (gochujang)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 medium size onion, sliced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
- Heat up a large, thick skillet (or pan) over medium high heat.
- Add pork, hot pepper paste, soy sauce, sugar, hot pepper flakes, black pepper, and toasted sesame oil.
- Mix it well, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook it for a few minutes until the pork is well mixed with the seasonings.
- Add garlic, ginger, onion, and green onions. Stir and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the pork is fully cooked and juicy and a little crispy.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve with rice, kimchi, lettuce, ssamjang, and more side dishes.
What is the other leaf you used (the flat one, not the lettuce)? I can’t quite understand. My audio here is a little buggy :) Thanks, Maangchi.
The leaf that’s kind of a flat round shape is called Perilla leaf. I think it’s called kkaennip in Korean. In Japanese, it is called shiso.
Kkaennip photo is here: https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/perilla-leaves
hi Maangchi!
Is it okay for me to use pork side for this recipe? I read online that it’s the same thing?? Thanks!
yes, pork side or pork shoulder with this recipe will be yummy!
I made this the other day and it came out great!!! But would like dial back some of the spiciness for some of my friends. What would be the best way to reduced the heat?
skip hot pepper flakes then.
Maangchi! I wish I could give you a BIG Thank you HUG for all the wonderful recipe post. Jeyuk Bokkeum is my favourite Korean dish.
Wonderful! A big hug for you!
Maangchi.. I cooked this dish tonight and it was AWESOME! At first before i cooked it, I asked my apartment mates if they had dinner and if they wanted me to cook something for them. Since it was sorta late for dinner, they passed. But boy you should have seen them coming out to smell this amazing dish! Haha..too bad i only cooked for one… and it’s all mine! :P
maangchi,
Yesterday i went to H-mart and had this “spicy pork and squid” that was super good. I think it was kinda like a slow poach of pork and squid with a lot of spicy sauce. I was determined to re-make it! So today I used your recipe (with pork shoulder and squid), made it a little bit more liquidy with more soy sauce and sugar, and cooked/poached it longer. Guess what, it tasted almost the same haha i’m so happy!
Thank you for the recipe!! <3
awesome! ; )
Hi Maangchi!
this looks sooo good! I want to make this for my boyfriend on our 4th year anniversary. but my boyfriend doesn’t like garlic. What can I use to replace garlic?
use more onion maybe?
This is one of those recipes my mom would never tell me for some strange reason… but it’s just like she would make!! If she couldn’t get the pork belly then she would use pork loin and even add rice cakes. Thank you!!!
I’m glad you like this recipe! Adding some rice cake sounds good to me. Actually you could stir-fry kimchi with this, too. very delicious.
This was soooo good! I couldn’t find pork belly so I used pork shoulder. It was still amazing!
yes, shoulder is tasty. lol
Hello. Those are some great pictures. What camera did you use to take them? Besides that, I wanted to ask you about this recipe. My grandma used to make this but she used to marinate it, how come you just cook it without marinating? Doesn’t marinating make it more tastier? Thank you :)
You could marinate it before cooking, but this way is much simpler and easier and more delicious. When you do charcoal bbq, you will have to marinate it.
My current camera:
Sony DSC-WX1
If I dont have hot pepper paste, Can I substitue wit something else?
Maybe use more hot pepper flakes? If you use only hot pepper flakes, use some soy sauce. The amount of soy sauce depends on your taste. Good luck!
Maangchi, my local store didnt carry pork belly. Would it be ok to use ground pork instead?
Lyn
If you used ground pork, when it’s cooked the pieces will be very extra small.
It might be harder to eat it this way, but if you’re okay with having very small pieces it might be okay to try it with ground pork.
If you can’t find pork belly, look for pork shoulder. It comes out similarly. Pork belly makes it richer because there is more fat. (It comes from the same part of the pig as bacon.)
Thank you very much for the info. I’m going to go to a different store to find the pork belly. If I still cant find it, I will use the pork shoulder.
I’ve made this recipe for breakfast since I’ve all the ingredients in my fridge! yum!! it’s better than the spicy pork korean bbq that i’ve eaten. Anyway, I’ve eaten this recipe, but with chicken instead. Am wondering, if i just replace pork with chicken breast, is it still delicious?
I think chicken breast works well with this recipe but add some vegetable oil so that it won’t burn.
Hi Maangchi, If someone is vegetarian, which protein do you recommend?
thanks
Maangchi, do you mind if I reply?
Hi Koreanmom, I’m not Maangchi but I am a vegetarian :)
My first choice would be a imitation pork wheat gluten, which is a Taiwanese product sold in a blue can at Asian markets. It needs a lot of oil and/or a nonstick pan to not burn. Large health stores (or grocery sections) often stock fake meats. Otherwise, smoked tofu, wheat gluten/seitan, firm tofu, or yuba (dried bean curd skin) are other options. This recipe is highly spiced so you might not need yo compensate for the added pork taste.
Thank you very much! I didn’t know the answer so I was quiet! “imitation pork wheat gluten” I should try it out someday.
Thank you, thank you for another recipe with perilla leaves.
I can’t wait to make this next week.
awesome! : )
I’m so excited about this recipe, you have no idea.
I’ll get started on it as soon as I have the pork I need.
~Will
Will, “you have no idea”, are u kidding? I was thinking about you when I posted this recipe this morning because I knew you would like this dish.
It will be a perfect recipe for a University student like you because the recipe is very easy, simple, and very fast! Have a party with your friends! Stop reading books and take a break during this Labor Day weekend. : )
I was so excited to make it that I just couldn’t wait.
I left immediately for the grocery store to get pork and lettuce.
And then I went to my favorite pan-asian grocery store “United Noodles” and bought a new tub of gochujang.
I made it for dinner for my family tonight! It was so delicious. Just like I remember from the Korean restaurant on campus.
In fact, I’ve already emailed you some photos of it.
I think that this spicy pork might be a good filling for kimbap too, with a little chopped kimchi added. Maybe I’ll do that for a labor day picnic with the leftovers?
Thanks so much for this amazing recipe! :D
~Will
Yes, wow, so fast! I saw the photos last night! “I think that this spicy pork might be a good filling for kimbap too, with a little chopped kimchi added.” very creative! : )