Korean Stir-fried Pork

This dish is popular in Korean restaurants but it’s also 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.

Ingredients

• 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 large green onion or 4 green onions, cut into 1 inch long pieces
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• 1 small bunch of enoki mushrooms, trimmed and washed (about 1 cup)
• Lettuce, washed and drained
• One sunny-side-up egg per person

For seasoning paste

• 2 tablespoons hot pepper paste
• 2 tablespoons 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 hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, rice syrup, soy sauce, water, garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl. Mix 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 stir fried pork in the center of table with a large serving spoon.
2. Diners take some stir-fry pork 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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