Jeyuk-deopbap (Spicy Pork Rice Bowl)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 12-inch skillet, wok, or cast-iron pan
• •Sharp knife
• •Mixing bowl
• •Rice bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Slice the pork

   Cut the pork shoulder into slices about 3mm thick, then into bite-size strips. If the meat is soft and difficult, freeze it for 25 minutes first. Cold pork cuts clean, and thin slices cook fast enough to brown before the marinade burns.

2. 2

   Mix the sauce

   In a bowl, stir together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, mirin, maesil-cheong or sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Taste the sauce before the pork goes in. It should be salty, gently sweet, and hot enough to wake the rice, not so sweet that it tastes sticky.

   Use the measured gochujang first. If your paste is mild, add more gochugaru, not another spoonful of gochujang, or the dish turns heavy and muddy.
3. 3

   Marinate briefly

   Add the pork, onion, scallion whites, and carrot if using. Mix by hand until every slice is thinly coated, then let it sit 15 minutes while the rice finishes. Do not marinate all day. Thin pork in soy and gochujang gets salty fast, and this is a weeknight dish, not a punishment.

4. 4

   Heat the pan

   Heat a wide skillet or wok over high heat until a drop of water skitters across the surface, then add the neutral oil. The pan must be hot before the pork arrives. This is the difference between jeyuk with browned edges and jeyuk that has stewed in its own sauce.

5. 5

   Sear in batches

   Add half the pork mixture in a single loose layer. Leave it alone for 60 to 90 seconds so the underside browns, then stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes until the pork is just cooked through and the onion softens. Transfer it to a plate and repeat with the rest. If liquid gathers, spread the pork wider and let the pan recover its heat.

   A little char at the edges is welcome. Blackened garlic is not. If the sauce darkens too fast before the pork cooks, lower the heat one notch and keep the meat moving.
6. 6

   Gloss and finish

   Return all the pork to the pan with the scallion greens and sliced green chili if using. Stir-fry 30 to 45 seconds, just until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the pork. Turn off the heat. The scallion greens should bend, not disappear.

7. 7

   Build the bowls

   Divide the hot rice among 3 bowls. Spoon the pork and its sauce over the rice, keeping a little edge of white rice visible so the bowl does not become one red heap. Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and serve with cucumber or lettuce if you want a cool crunch beside the heat.

Chef Tips

• •Pork shoulder is better than lean loin here. The thin ribbons of fat keep the meat tender under high heat, while lean pork turns dry before the sauce has time to gloss.
• •A safe shortcut is buying pre-sliced pork for jeyuk or bulgogi from a Korean market. Do not shorten the pan work. One crowded batch is how a good marinade becomes a red puddle.
• •Serve with one quiet banchan if you have it: cucumber muchim, kongnamul-muchim, or plain kimchi. The bowl is strong, so the side dish should clean the mouth, not compete with it.
• •Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a skillet, not a microwave, with 1 tablespoon water to loosen the sauce and stop the pork from drying out.

Advance Preparation

• •Slice the pork up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Mix the sauce separately up to 3 days ahead, then combine the two only 15 to 30 minutes before cooking.
• •Rice can be cooked earlier and kept warm in the cooker. If using cold rice, reheat it fully before serving, because the pork sauce needs warm grains to soak in properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)