Weeknight Spicy Korean Pork Bowls

Feeds 3-4

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Is it not enough that they gave us Squid Game? No. They also have to give us Kimchi, Korean BBQ, and Gangnam Style. These spicy pork bowls are a perfect weeknight meal - they're filling, they're utterly moreish, and they'll have you constantly craving korean barbecue (if you don't already).

*If you don't have doenjang (korean soybean paste) then using peanut butter is just as delicious. I can never find doenjang at my local so a good peanutty peanut butter is where I'm at.

Recipe

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 680g pork shoulder or belly, thinly sliced into strips

• 1/2 a white onion, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, grated

• 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes or gochugaru ( depending on heat preference)

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• 1 tablespoon of white pepper

• 1/2 a green apple, grated

• 1/4 cup of gochujang

• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil

• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

Magic Sauce

• 1/2 a cup of doenjang or peanut butter

• 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil

• 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons of honey

• 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced

• 1/2 a cup of water

• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

For Serving

• Plain white rice, cooked

• 1/2 a cucumber, thinly sliced

• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

• Kimchi

• Coriander

• Black sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Mix the onion, garlic, chilli flakes, sugar, salt, pepper, ginger, and apple from the marinade ingredients together in a food processor or mortar & pestle. If you don't have either, make sure to mince the onion and garlic as fine as you can to create a paste. Then mix it with the gochujang, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar.

2. Marinate the pork strips in the mixture, covered (in the fridge) for at least 1 hour but ideally 12-24 hours.

3. When you are ready to make the bowls take the pork out of the fridge.

4. To make the magic sauce, mix together all of the ingredients and heat them up for 1-2 minutes.

5. Cook the pork strips in a non stick pan (in batches so as not to crowd the pan) for 1-2 minutes a side (it cooks very quickly). If you have any marinade left, cook that for 2-4 minutes as well.

6. Divvy up your rice into bowls and top it with the pork and the cooked pork marinade. Add a large spoonful of your magic sauce, add some cucumbers, kimchi, spring onions, coriander, and your sesame seeds. You can also add a fried egg and whatever other veggies you want!

7. Enjoy !

Stay Salty,

Romy xx