hello hi everyone! Wesley here. Today we’re adding to our growing series dedicated to foods from TV and film with a shot at a Korean spicy pork bulgogi, inspired by the Netflix series “All of Us Are Dead.” For those unfamiliar, a Korean spicy pork features thinly sliced pork shoulder or pork butt that has been coated in a gochujang based marinade for its signature bright red and spicy quality. While the term “bulgogi” technically refers to a specific cut of beef (some folks may recall the beef bulgogi from our gimbap and bibimbap recipes not too long ago), the “spicy pork” variation is also quite common in Korean BBQ cuisine as well.
So, this means that (more colloquially), the term “bulgogi” really is referring to the way that the meat is sliced, marinated, and cooked. Most iconically, a bulgogi is marinated using Asian pear, then sliced very thinly, and grilled over an open flame (or in our case as with many of you at home, wok fried because…I don’t have a grill). Finally rounding everything out, a spicy pork can be served with a wide variety of “banchan” side dishes, but for today, we’re gonna focus on my personal favorite way of eating this dish, which is with a bit of crisp romaine lettuce, which we’re gonna use to wrap our pork in for a nice fresh veggie addition as well. Hope you try it.
Serves 2-3
INGREDIENTS
1 lb pork shoulder (or pork butt)
1/2 medium white onion
10-15 slices cucumber
1 head romaine lettuce
kimchi
peanut oil
INGREDIENTS (marinade)
4 cloves garlic
1 inch (about 1 tbsp) ginger
1/2 asian pear/apple pear
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp gochugaru
3 tbsp gochujang
PREP
SLICE the pork shoulder thinly, set aside
SLICE the onion into thin strips, set aside
SLICE the cucumber, set aside
RINSE the lettuce under cold water, set aside
PREP (marinade)
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
PEEL the asian pear, then remove the core and grate into a bowl
COMBINE all marinade ingredients, then let marinate for 30 minutes
ON THE STOVE
HEAT a wok as hot as possible, then add 1/4 cup peanut oil and long yao
ADD the pork one piece at a time, flat side down, then sear for 2.5 minutes and flip
TOSS and tilt the wok toward the open flame (optionally) for wok hei, then remove and repeat with remaining pork
ADD the pork back to the wok, then add the onions and toss to combine for 2 minutes
REMOVE from heat then serve over rice with a side of cucumber, lettuce, and kimchi
ADD the pork (optionally) to a lettuce leaf and eat as a wrap