제육볶음 (Korean Spicy Stir-fried Pork)

It would be a significant challenge for those required to eat halal or kosher in Korea.  Not impossible, but I suspect that there is actually a certain amount of pork particulate in the air due to the sheer abundance of pork being stir-fried, barbequed and generally loved by Koreans.  This dish is one of our favourites and I have been working on improvements with every attempt at cooking it.

So this is 제육볶음 (cheuk bok-um)...

Start with about 150g of pork neck per person (the recipe below will be for about 350-400g pork).  Cut into decent sized chunks, perhaps 3cm.  Cut half an onion into chunks, a carrot into diagonal disks, a zucchini into disks and a mild long red chilli into slices.  Put this aside.

Next is the sauce.  Mix together the following ingredients:

2 tbsp red chilli paste (gochujang - probably can find it at Asian grocers, it is in many many Korean dishes).
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp finely sliced green onion
1 tsp grated ginger
lots of black pepper
sesame seeds
1/2 onion, grated.



Heat a bit of oil in a pan and throw in the pork and vegetables.  Stir this around for a bit.  Then add the sauce and mix everything through.  When it's cooked, it's done.

It should look something like this (finished product is the photo at the top).  Serve it with steamed short grain rice, lettuce, sesame leaves (perilla leaves) and kim chi.


You eat the pork by picking up a lettuce or perilla leaf, take a piece of pork from the bowl, put it into your leaf, add some ssamjjang (an awesome Korean sauce that makes everything more tasty - I think you can get it at Asian grocers too, it's in a green tub) then add some kim chi or some rice or whatever you like, roll it all up and stuff in your gob in one go.


Enjoy!