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!
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.
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
- 1 lb / 500g boneless pork shoulder (excess fat trimmed) (Note 1)
- 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
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic , minced
- 1 onion , halved and sliced (brown, white or yellow)
- 1 scallion/shallot stalk , sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Rice
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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.
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Combine Marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add pork. Marinate for 30 minutes, or overnight.
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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.
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Serve immediately with rice, garnished with sliced shallots and sesame seeds.
1. Pork shoulder is ideal for this recipe because it's got a bit of fat marbled throughout it. At Korean BBQ, this is made using pork belly which is too fatty for a stir fry like this (in my personal view). It will also work with any pork cuts suitable for stir frying, like tenderloin, but the meat will be leaner.
2. This recipe works best with pear, next best with nashi pear and as a last substitute, red apple works great too. The use of pears and apples in marinades is a classic Korean technique which works brilliantly.
3. Gochujang is a Korean paste that is used in a lot of Korean recipes. It's spicy and savoury, with a touch of sweet. It's a secret weapon because it's got so many layers of flavour! It can be purchased at Asian grocery stores (~$3), or online here (Aus) or here(US). It's a bit difficult to make your own, but if you are interested, you can read about that here.
However! The good news if you are keen to try this and can't get Gochujang is that you can achieve a similar flavour by using the following instead: 2 tbsp sriracha + 1 tbsp miso paste + 1/2 tsp sugar (white or brown). The stir fry does not taste exactly the same but is very similar, with the same sticky spicy slightly sweet glaze with great depth of flavour!
Also NOTE! The stir fry will taste very similar but will not come out the same dark colour, it will be paler because the sriracha / miso substitute does not have the same colour. You could compensate for this by using DARK SOY SAUCE instead of all purpose or light soy sauce that the recipe calls for which will make the colour closer to as pictured. Update: As readers note below in the comments, it still tastes amazing! It just looks different!
4. I strongly recommend cooking this in a NON STICK pan because the marinade is quite jammy so it will caramelise and stick to the pan. If you do not have a non stick pan, an easy way to clean the fry pan is to fill with some water and bring it to a simmer on the stove. This will loosen the caramelised bits stuck to the fry pan.
5. Adapted from this Dwaejibulgogi Korean Spicy BBQ Pork recipe from Maangchi, a wonderful authentic Korean food blog. The original recipe is for Korean BBQ Pork rather than a stir fry, but I find that the marinade is plentiful and comes out beautifully juicy and sticky, making it a perfect base for a simple but flavour loaded stir fry!
Traditionally, this is made with thin slices of pork belly then served in lettuce wraps with Ssamjang Korean sauce (recipe link to Maangchi website) - classic Korean BBQ way!
6. QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES: Bring 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) to a simmer with 2 tsp sugar and 3/4 tsp salt. When sugar has dissolved, pour over 3 cups sliced cucumbers and carrots. Cool and bring to room temperature, then chill before serving. I sprinkled mine with red peppers.
7. Nutrition per serving, excluding rice. assuming this is made with pork shoulder. If made with pork tenderloin, it reduces to 297 calories per serving.
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This was my first time to use gochujang in a recipe and it won’t be the last!! This recipe is the perfect balance between spicy and sweet. I used my cast iron skillet and am happy with the results. My man has not stopped raving over dinner so I know he’s hooked….yay!!! Thank you Nagi for this recipe and your awesome website. I have made several of your recipes and they are all delicious.
That’s great Val! Thanks for letting me know! – N x ❤️
For this recipe can I just use the spicy Korean BBQ sauce?
Love this recipe!Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it Linda, thanks for letting me know! N x
Great recipe, my husband and I loved it. I used the substitute for the paste and next time will make it a bit more spicy with more sriracha sauce. I also used pork fillet because I had brought 2 on special. I will be adding this to my favourite stir fry collection. Thanks Nagi for another fabulous tasty recipe.
I messed up somewhere – it never caramelized or got sticky. The flavor was great and everyone loved it, but it didn’t come out looking as delicious as yours.
I put the marinade together in the morning, added the pork and put it in the fridge. It was super cold when I added it to the pan eight hours later, could that be it?
I also doubled the recipe – maybe cooking it in smaller batches would achieve the caramelized, sticky perfection?
I’m definitely trying this again, it was a smash hit with the family despite my failure. You are a wonderful resource for those of us who are trying to expand their kitchen skills and palates.
I’m having the same issue. I’m cooking it right now! It is not caramelising. I haven’t doubled its quantities. It does smell amazing though
Hi Nag, I was wondering if it’s possible to make a larger batch of the marinade sauce and keep it in a bottle in the fridge or freezer? It sounds scrumptious and I’d like to have it on hand for whenever the moods strikes to make this stir fry! How long do you think it’ll keep? Thanks. 🙂
Hi Jenny! Unfortunately I don’t think it will keep for more than 3 days and I would not recommend it anyway because of the fresh garlic in it (which, once minced, goes off after 3 days). But the other option is to mix it with meat then freeze it straight away! The meat kind of marinades as it is freezing and then when it’s defrosting 🙂 N x
Ah ok, that’s good to know. Great idea to freeze the meat and sauce together! Thanks Nagi for the advice!
Eager to try this recipe so I started making it but realized I may have misunderstood your substitute for Gochujang paste. As I don’t have any on hand I started making the substitution but have this (possible stupid) question: Is the substitution an equal amount?
The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of Gochujang but do I use 3 times the amount of the substitution or the substitution recipe is the same as the 3 tablespoons?
Side note: Insomnia had me up at 4AM (it’s now 8:30AM) and I may be overthinking it all.
That’s ok Michael, we all experience that! ❤️ Just use the mix in Note 3 as it is, the quantities specific and use that instead of the Gochujang in the recipe! N x
Delicious! I love the sweet heat of the marinade. Will add this one to the regulars. Thank you!
That’s so great to hear Catherine! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to let me know! N x
Made this last night and it is amazing! I’ve never had Korean food before, but I’d bought some gochujang sauce so gave it a try (had to borrow a pear from a neighbor). The flavor is so complex and lingers in your mouth. Not too spicy at all. The only thing I would do differently is to slice it thinner. My slices were about 1/4″ thick. Totally yummy.
Terrific to hear RenoSue! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to leave a review! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi! I’m a college student just learning how to cook, and I’ve been living off your recipes! We’re using chicken thighs instead of pork. When we cook the chicken, should we cook the marinade with it for the sauce?
Hi Natalie, I’m so pleased you like my recipes! Just follow the recipe exactly using chicken instead of pork 🙂 N x
Delicious, umami, lip smacking, moorish dish!
That’s fantastic to hear Catherine! Thanks for leaving a review! N x ❤️
Yesterday, while at my son and daughter in law’s home, I made a double batch of Spicy Korean Pork Stir Fry for four adults and three grandsons. I had hoped to eat some “left overs” when I returned to their home this morning. But there were none – it was all gone.😟
This evening I am preparing Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs. About how many meatballs should one recipe make? Of course I am using a double recipe but knowing the number will help.
I’m so pleased to hear that Gwen! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on this recipe 🙂 N xx