An authentic simple Korean marinade is the star of this spicy, sticky Korean pork stir fry that will leave you wanting more long after you licked your bowl clean! This requires just 30 minutes marinating time – which can be skipped if you’re in a hurry!
Korean Pork Stir Fry
If you like BIG flavours – and I mean BIG, HUGE flavours, then this stir fry is for you. The flavours are much more intense than usual stir fries – it’s spicier, stickier and stronger. The jammy sauce is the type that will have you smacking your lips and licking your fingers, wanting to marinade everything in this.
And actually, you could. For those who have sampled Korean Fried Chicken (the “other” 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 is 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 don’t compare – far less flavour, even when they’re cold pressed fresh juice. And as for grated onions – to my knowledge, you can’t 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, 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. It’s spicy, savoury with a touch of sweet, and it’s a secret weapon in Korean cooking because it’s 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. But don’t worry if you can’t find it, I have provided a substitute that yields a very similar result – my taste testers actually couldn’t tell the difference!
Gochujang aside, this is a seriously quick midweek meal. I think you’ll be quite surprised at how short the ingredient list is – thanks to Gochujang which provides much of the flavour base – and just 30 minutes of marinating time.
In fact, I’ve made this 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 with kimchi which is the spicy Korean pickled cabbage that is served with practically every dish for every meal in Korea, but I didn’t 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 of Mongolian Beef. It is quite spicy, but not “blow your head off” spicy.
Ugh. Writing this up just reminds me how lip smackingly delicious this is and now I’m craving it!!! I’m going to make this for dinner tonight. Using chicken. YUM! – 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 – 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
WATCH HOW TO MAKE
LIFE OF DOZER
He secretly loves his robe. I know it. That’s a glimmer of contentment in his eyes. Not embarrassment / resentment / shame.
I made spicy Korean pork stir fry tonight for tea but I found it was to hot for me but my hubby loved it and he made your fried rice to go with it and last night we had the cheese and garlic crack bread and it was lovely thank you for all these recipes every one I have made we have loved.
Cathy
This, fried rice AND crack bread??? You’re on a roll!!! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for coming back to let me know! N x
Made this tonight. Was nice. Had same problem as others of not caramelising even though I used authentic Korean paste, but I noticed it was stewing not stir frying. Are you supposed to take meat out the marinade and then stir fry? I drained my meat, put it back in pan and then it started changing colours.
Hi Tiff! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavour!! Did you have the heat on high? I just dump all the meat and marinade in, on high heat it caramelises just fine. I must try this recipe again this week and double check it. The other commenters did not use the authentic paste so the colour comes out different. But if you used gochujang it should definitely caramelise. N x
Hi Nagi
Just wondering whether the marinated meat can be frozen for later on ?
Hi Nagi,
Another great recipe and incredibly simple to make. The gochujang made the difference. The only thing I changed was to add 1/2 cup chicken broth as my son likes more sauce with his rice. We love your web site and big fans here in Toronto. Keep the recipes coming.
That’s so wonderful that you and your son enjoyed this Brian! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x
Yup! It sure can! I do that for beef, pork and chicken! 🙂 Don’t even need to marinade – just pop it in a freezer, and it will marinade while freezing then defrosting time 🙂 Efficient!
Hi Nagi! I just made this and it was great- my husband in particular looooooved it! However, like many others my dish also did not become black and caramelised. It turned out the exact colour of butter chicken! I used dark soy sauce but I did have to use the sriracha hack as I couldn’t find the Korean paste in the shops, even so I thought it would have turned out a bit darker. Strange.
Hi Fiona! I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavour!! Thank you for reminding me – I did not say in the notes that the sriracha hack will taste similar but the colour will be lighter 🙂 Just as you described – it is kind of more like buffalo sauce colour. So glad you enjoyed the flavour though! Isn’t it delish? Have a FAB weekend Fiona!
Hi Nagi
Cooked and loved Korean Potk Stir Fry?Had all correct ingredients but I couldn’t get that black sticky colour and texture.Where did I go wrong
Hi Terry! The dark colour comes from soy sauce, brown sugar and the Gochujang paste. 🙂 Did you use normal soy sauce rather than light soy sauce? Light soy sauce would produce a lighter colour, but the same flavour.
Just made this tonight! Very delicious but didn’t get the black sticky color. Should I have used dark soy sauce
Hi Afua! I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavour!! It’s so strange about the colour – another reader said the same thing. Did you use light soy sauce? The good news is that with this recipe, it doesn’t matter what soy sauce you use, the flavour is very similar either way, it would just be the colour that is affected. N x
Saw this in the morning, marinated today and made it tonight. A hit with all in the house! I used pork neck ‘steaks’, which I sliced thinly cross grain and this was beautifully tender. For anyone interested I used the Senpo brand of gochujang (in Australia) and it was just a perfect amount of heat with Nagi’s excellent recipe.
Nagi, I’ve made quite a few of your recipes now and all have been keepers! Thanks so much for the hard work and inspiration when it comes to the ‘what’s for dinner’ moments ?
Awwww, LIZ! You just made my DAY!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this – you ROCK!!! N x
Hi Nagi
Just finished tour Korean spicy pork stir fry.definetily yum.I had the correct ingredients but just could not that black sticky colour to dish pan easy to clean.Where did I go wrong?
So glad you enjoyed the flavour Terry!! Sorry – I can’t quite catch the 2nd part of your message 🙂 Cleaning problem? Or yours didnt come out the same dark colour?? I am probably just misunderstanding! N x
I still haven’t made any cKorean food, so this seems like the perfect recipe to start with! Love how sticky and caramelised the pork is, and adding grated pear to the marinade is so interesting!! I can imagine it would work to tenderise the meat as well. Definitely saving!
Very unique to Korean cooking – and it’s a brilliant tip!
Ooh Nagi, I want to eat a big bowl full of this right NOW, and I’m propped up in bed just about to switch the light out! I KNOW this would be SO full of flavour – it looks it, and I’m really intrigued by that little fruity trick. I’d never heard of it but must try it!
Hope you’re getting over your jet lag, by the way. 🙂
Easy recovering from US > Aus than Aus > UK!!! How’s progress on your visa??? I’m WAITING to MEET YOU!!!
I love Korean food, but never think to make it at home! This looks perfect for a tasty weeknight meal. 🙂
Hope you do try it!! It really is super tasty! 🙂
Nagi,
He totally loves the robe!
What do you do to place photos in your recipe app?
Hi Aida! I think he secretly loves it too…..! 🙂 For the photos, do you mean photos you take yourself of food?? N x
Sorry for the confusion, I meant the recipe plugin. I can put in the recipe itself, but I haven’t been able to also put the photos of food prep right into the recipe plugin. How do you do it?
Btw, I’ve been following this and the other blog of yours for food bloggers. So much useful information. Thank you for taking the time to put it all together for us!
Gotcha! 🙂 You need the premium version to do that. Then you’ll get a button option in the recipe field to add an image, then you just select an image from the media library like with your usual photos.
Love everything gochujang. So this is a recipe I will definitely be trying out….just brilliant.
Isn’t it the best?? It’s like Korea’s secret weapon! 🙂
Oh my! I have a similar but much more complicated recipe that I often cook. Looks like I will have a lot more time on my hands. I can’t wait to try this!!
Really?? I’m curious now, I’ve never seen overly complicated Korean marinades!! 🙂
Sticky goodness with this one Nagi! I’m definitely a “blow your head off” spicy kinda guy so I’d dig right into this with a pinch of red pepper flakes to kick it up. 🙂
This is right up your alley. I’ll make this for you when you come visit!
This looks like the goods, my challenge for the week will be to source he gochujang.
Nope I think Dozers look says ” She went away and left me AGAIN, I am going to pretend
I just don’t care.”
BA HA HA! No feeling sorry for him, he lives life like every day is his birthday!!! 🙂 I do hope you can find it, but if you can’t, the substation is pretty close! I was really surprised how tasty it is!
Yes! Yes! Yes! To bold flavors! We simply love having something that says “I’ve arrived!” My oldest son just got back from S. Korea and he really enjoyed the spicy dishes. This will be one that I’ll be making for him.
Woah – wait – your son was in SK??
So excited to try this. I’ll probably use tenderloin. The size works for me.
You’re so lucky, tenderloin is super expensive here which is why I’m quite selective what I use it for. I spent last week gawking at how cheap things are in the US!
I just looked at the pork in my neighborhood grocery store. Pork shoulder is $3.49 lb and tenderloin is $3.99 lb. So…not a huge difference and I love tenderloin in a stir fry. My favorite butcher was there (the real deal guy, not just a meat dept person) and we talked about stir frying pork shoulder. He, like me, always cooks it low and slow in a braise or carnitas fashion. So, now I have to try it. I bought boneless pork ribs which are actually from the shoulder for….wait for it…$1.99 lb. Shazaam!! I will make it on Friday and will definitely report back. 🙂
That’s NUTS!!!! Pork tenderloin is triple to quadruple the price here in Australia!! Pork shoulder is definitely great for long and slow when cooked whole. But it’s also used for fast stir fries in Asian cooking. It works really well because it’s sliced so thin against the grain and the meat is marbled with fat, and actually it has more flavour than tenderloin! 🙂 Oooh….boneless pork ribs – YUM!!! The prices you pay in the US for produce KILLS ME! It is SO CHEAP!
Is it more expensive there because like Hawaii and Ireland, lots has to be imported? The pork I get is locally raised very humanely. We are lucky here as far as foods go.
The boneless ribs aren’t really ribs. Just portions of the shoulder. Close to the ribs, but not really ribs. I recently learned about cooking baby backs or spare ribs over high heat on my bbq grill and LOVE them, so it does make sense that it would work for stir fry dishes too. Can’t wait!!!
Didn’t know that about boneless ribs! 🙂 Australia is generally just more expensive than the US for most things. Real estate and most produce!
Thanks for the delicious-looking stir-fry! Love Korean food but there aren’t any good ones in the area, so it’s nice to know how to make some Korean dishes. I would eat Asian almost every day if I could!
I hear you Barb! There are no good Asian places in my area, I have to travel at least 30 minutes for great Asian!! Hence why I share so many 🙂 Hope you’re having ag great week!
Hey you!I have been pinning and printing away lately.Trying to broaden my culinary horizons.So this is a good one,of course.Collecting,Japanese,Korean,Malaysian,sushi,…Since at 54,not sure I want to attend culinary school,and the 1 I was going to attend closed.Anyway,amazing dish,with excellent instructions,Thanks,Hun!
Glad you like the look of this Teri! 🙂
This stir fry sounds absolutely wonderful. I’ll have to try it soon. Welcome back to Sydney – I’m glad to know you survived LA (a place I dislike intensely)…
PS Must say it is so nice to be home though…the weather here is spectacular!
Oh no! You dislike LA?? 🙁 I love it!!! It’s so eclectic! I do hope you try this Susan, I promise, the flavour is amazing! Koreans know their marinades…. N x
Nagi, I grew up in Santa Monica and lived in the Los Angeles area for 36+ years. With the smog, and the millions of people. Last time I was there, the freeways seemed like parking lots 24 hours a day. I’m much happier far away from there, but I’m glad you like it. There is a lot to see and do there (if you can get around).
The traffic KILLS me!!! I can’t believe how bad it is – even from so early in the morning!!! It takes double the time I plan to get anywhere and I have to be so careful about travelling outside of peak hours 🙂 I agree, getting around is a nightmare. I was lucky the smog wasn’t noticeable this time, but I’ve been there when it’s bad. I do love Santa Monica! I could literally just spend days wandering around there! N x