Korean Spicy BBQ Pork ( 제육볶음 Jeyuk Bokkeum )

Korean Spicy BBQ Pork  ( 제육볶음 Jeyuk Bokkeum )

Thinly sliced pork

Ingredients marinating in the spicy paste

Pan frying the pork in the large frying pan

Delicious and succulent pork

Korean Spicy BBQ Pork on Rice
( 제육볶음덮밥 Jeyuk Bokkeum Deopbap)

Korean food were widely available in Singapore where I grew up.  This is a dish I remember well as I used to have it all the time in Korean restaurants or in the little Hawker centres that is dotted around the lovely island of Singapore. Jeyuk means pork and bokkeum means stir-fry. Jeyuk bokkeum is a highly popular Korean BBQ dish. Very often, this is served sizzling on a hot cast iron plate. I can still remember the sound of it hissing as the waiter make his grand entrance, slowly approaching, followed by the perfumed fragrant that filled the air.  And the velvety smooth spicy pork that is also honey sweet fill the mouth with a tingling yet comforting sensation.
The meat are first thinly sliced, so that they absorbed the lovely delicious marinade consisting of Korean chilli paste (gochujang), honey, fruit and other wonderful stuff and cooks really quickly on the hot plate to retain moisture and succulent. Of course, mere mortals like us will hardly owns a cast iron sizzling plates although this is on my 'to buy' list or hoping father Christmas will get me one for Christmas, but that is a year away. 

However, this is just as delicious grilled on a barbecue or pan-fried in a large frying pan. Make sure that the pan is sizzling hot so that some of the marinade is caramelised  to give that BBQ yumminess. I used pork shoulder but any other cuts can be used although not too lean works the best. 

Recipe:

(Serves 4)

750g pork shoulder, very thinly sliced across the grains

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 spring onions, cut into 2cm length

Sunflower oil or vegetable oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan

green part of 1 spring onions, sliced, for garnish

For the Marinade:

5 tbsp Korean chilli pepper paste (gochujang)

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp Korean chilli powder (gochugaru) 

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pear, grated

In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Add the pork, onions and spring onions and mix well. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour. 

When ready to cook, heat up a large frying pan over high heat with a drizzle of oil. When smoking, add the pork and pan fry for 7-8 minutes, until cook and slightly caramelised (Do not to overcrowd the pan or the meat will stewed and become tough instead of pan fried, do this in batches if necessary). 

Serves with some hot steamed rice and garnish with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and spring onions.