An authenticย simpleย Korean marinade is the star of this spicy, sticky Korean pork stir fryย that will leave you wanting more long after you licked your bowl clean! This requires just 30 minutes marinating time โ which can be skipped if youโre in a hurry!
Korean Pork Stir Fry
If you like BIG flavours โ and I mean BIG, HUGE flavours, then this stir fry is for you. The flavours are much more intense than usual stir fries โ itโs spicier, stickier and stronger. The jammy sauce is the type that will have you smacking your lips and licking your fingers, wanting to marinadeย everythingย in this.
And actually, you could. For those who have sampled Korean Fried Chicken (the โotherโ KFC), the flavour of the sauce will be familiar because the sticky coating for KFC has similar ingredients to this marinade.
A technique that is not used widely but is fantastic for getting incredible flavour into marinades and sauces isย grated onions and pears / apples. I first learnt about this technique from my Korean hairdresser who dictates recipes to me while she does my roots!!!
The reason that grating is such a fantastic technique is that juice is created which forms part of the marinade. Fruit juices simply donโt compare โ far less flavour, even when theyโre cold pressed fresh juice. And as for grated onions โ to my knowledge, you canโt buy that!!!
I made this with pork shoulder (boneless) which is a really great value cut of meat because it is typically considered to be a tougher cut suited to slow cooking. But actually, if you slice it thinly against the grain,ย it is wonderful to use for quick cooking purposes like in a stir fry.
The one ingredient in this recipe that you might not be able to find easily is Gochujang which is a Korean spice paste. It comes in a bright red tub and the paste is a deep red colour. Itโs spicy, savoury with a touch of sweet, and itโs a secret weapon in Korean cooking because itโs go so many layers of flavour. It is used in a lot of Korean dishes, like Bibimbap, Kimchi Fried Rice and even the dipping sauce for the Momofuku Bossam (slow cooked pork).
It can be purchased at Korean grocery stores and most Asian grocery stores for a few dollars.ย But donโt worry if you canโt find it, I have provided a substitute that yields a very similar result โ my taste testers actually couldnโt tell the difference!
Gochujang aside, this is a seriously quick midweek meal. Iย think youโll be quite surprised at how short the ingredient list is โ thanks toย Gochujang which provides much of the flavour base โ and just 30 minutes of marinating time.
In fact, Iโve made thisย without marinating and it still worked out great because the flavour of the glaze is so strong.
I served this with plain white rice and lightly pickled vegetables (I popped the recipe in the notes below). Typically I would have served this withย kimchi which is the spicyย Korean pickled cabbageย that is served with practically every dish for every meal in Korea, but I didnโt have any on hand.
This is a MUST TRY for anyone who loves food with big bold flavours!!! The sticky/sweet/spicy/savory flavours remind me ofย Mongolian Beef. It is quite spicy, but not โblow your head offโ spicy.
Ugh. Writing this up just reminds me how lip smackingly delicious this is and now Iโm craving it!!! Iโm going to make this for dinner tonight.ย Using chicken. YUM! โ Nagi x
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Spicy Korean Pork Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 500g boneless pork shoulder (excess fat trimmed) (Note 1)
Marinade
- 1 small pear , grated (1/2 cup) (or nashi pear OR apple) (Note 2)
- 1/2 medium onion , grated (1/4 cup) (brown, white or yellow)
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger , minced or finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (all purpose or light soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste) OR see Note 3 for substitution
Stir Fry
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic , minced
- 1 onion , halved and sliced (brown, white or yellow)
To Serve
- 1 scallion/shallot stalk , sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Rice
Instructions
- Cut pork into thin slices. If using pork shoulder, as I did, halve it lengthwise to form two long pieces, then slice the pieces. See photo below.
- Combine Marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add pork. Marinate for 30 minutes, or overnight.
- To cook, heat oil in a large non stick skillet (Note 4) over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Add pork and cook for 5 minutes or until dark golden and caramelised, and just cooked through.
- Serve immediately with rice โ or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice! Garnish with sliced shallots and sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
The Spicy Side of Life: Korean recipes
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LIFE OF DOZER
He secretly loves his robe. I know it. Thatโs a glimmerย of contentment in his eyes. Not embarrassment / resentment / shame.
Not any good for a Carnivore diet.
As a Korean (living away for over a dozen years), I call this is as authentic as possible abroad. My family enjoyed it a lot, but mostly me ๐
My 7 and 9 year-olds had to sweat a bit, even though I used less than half of Gochujang. For the kids (and adults) not used to spicy food, > 1/3 would work. Thanks Nagi, as usual! ๊ฐ์ฌํฉ๋๋ค ๐
After step 2, I divide this into portions for the two of us and freeze it in cryovac bags for future quick meals. From the cryovac bag to the table in less time than it takes the rice to cook, quick meal in under 20mins.
So lovely! Have permission to make it again from the inhouse food critic! ๐
Iโm making this tonight , instead of sugar in the marinade Iโm going to try raw honey , low sodium salt for dietary reasons
Made this with thinly cut pork belly which I barbecued until crisp. Once done, I tossed them in a pan with the delicious marinade to heat though and added veg. No exaggeration, it was totally delicious and weโre going to have it again tonight with king prawns. I just want to thank you Nagi for the best recipes! Every single one Iโve tried has worked out. When we want a recipe, you are our go to.
Hi Nagi,
I made this recipe tonight and it was very good! Due to being low on time, I did not get a chance to marinate it very long. However, as you note in your blog, it still tasted great. In fact, I liked it so much, I made a second batch and stuck it in the fridge to marinate overnight. Looking forward to cooking it up tomorrow! Thanks for such delicious recipes.
this is delicious, we made it last night, not too spicy, just right. will definitely make again x
I made this last night for the Super Bowl along with the Quick Pickled Vegetables. When I told my distant relatives, they all said they would be right over. Local store didnโt carry gochujang, so I bought a jar of Oceanโs Halo Organic Shichimi Togarashi. Iโm not sure what this is, but I am sure you have a dozen recipes with this ingredient.
This was amazing โ so full of flavour and easy to make โ I just blended all the marinade together in a food processor to make it super easy! Delicious!
Iโm not sure it was carmelized as you would make it โฆbut it was darn delicious. My family of 5 (on this occaision) all voted 5 stars. Of course itโs on our โmake againโ list. Thanks again Nagi!
I cannot tell you how many times I have made this but it is always delicious. I love it. Somewhat spicy but addictively so. Pickles help to calm it down.
OMG just done this, A M A Z I N
This recipe is yum yum yum yum, we also serve it with crushed peanuts and chilli, add lots of veggies to the stir-fry, and use noodles instead of rice, but it is great โ we use it all the time!
Love this recipe. Marinate before I go to work then serve with crispy noodle and cabbage salad that evening. There is plenty of saltiness in the gochujang, so we spiced it up with Korean chilli flakes. We add a teaspoon of bicarb if we do it with beef or chicken breast just to help tenderise.
Hi,
Can we grind the Pear along with the Ginger and Garlic. instead of grating it?
I was just in our local Sainsburys and on their reduced shelf (sell by date ran out today) They had 10 pork shoulder steaks and 6 pears plus a bunch on spring onions. I bought them and then looked on your website for something to make. This was so nice I will be making it again even if the ingrediants are full price not reduced by 75%!
Really quick, easy and (most importantly) delicious. I made this with pork neck and it came out succulent and caramelised. This has already become a weeknight favourite, together with steamed rice and Korean cucumber salad (various, from other websites, easy to find and make).
Loved this and expect to make it again and again. The pickles were a little harsh for me but extra sugar next time and should be perfect for me.
Delicious! Taste even better than the authentic Korean place I go to. The pear is key. Love the quick marinate time also. Amazed at how well it came out considering that I am a terrible cook. Am excited to try more of your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!