Korean Spicy Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry
with pickled cucumbers / rice
Filled with tender pork and crisp vegetables, this quick stir fry is spicy and warming. Some quick-pickled cucumbers on the side help to cool it down and add some fresh crunch to the dish.
Smarts #1: Gochujang is a sweet and spicy Korean chili paste. Look for it in the global foods section of your supermarket or order it online.
Smarts #2: For a milder dish, adjust the amounts of the spicy ingredients to suit your taste.
Ingredients
- Rice, uncooked white or brown - 1 cup
- Cucumbers - 6 oz , sliced
- Vinegar, rice - 1/3 cup
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Carrots - 6 oz , shredded (look for pre-shredded to save time)
- Jalapenos - 1 , seeded and diced
- Garlic - 4 cloves , minced
- Ginger, fresh - 1 tsp , minced
- Cabbage, Napa - 12 oz , thinly sliced (sub green cabbage)
- Green onions - 4 stalks , sliced into 1" / 2.5 cm pieces
- Pork tenderloin - 1 lb , thinly sliced
- Stock, any type - 1/2 cup
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 2 Tbsp
- Gochujang - 1 to 3 Tbsp (use more or less depending on your spice preference)
- Brown sugar - 1 Tbsp
- Cornstarch - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- Oil, toasted sesame - 2 tsp
- Lime juice - 2 tsp
- Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Prep
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Rice - (Double if making Thursday’s meal.) For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Carrots / Jalapenos / Garlic / Ginger - Prep as directed. Store carrots and jalapenos together in one container. Store garlic and ginger together in another container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make pickles - Slice cucumbers and pack them into a container just large enough to hold them. Whisk together the vinegar and sugar. Warm the mixture briefly in the microwave (~30-45 seconds) and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour vinegar mixture over the pickles making sure they are mostly submerged (you can add some water or more vinegar if needed). Refrigerate the pickles for at least 20 minutes and up to 5 days. (The longer you leave the pickles the more ‘pickled’ they will become. 20 minutes will give them flavor, but several days will turn them into more traditional pickles.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Cabbage / Green onions - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Pork - Slice the pork into thin strips and season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Make sauce - Whisk together stock, soy sauce, gochujang, brown sugar, and cornstarch.
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Make
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Heat a wok or deep saute pan with first portion of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add pork slices and sear until just browned on the outside (they won’t be cooked through), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer pork to a bowl and return wok to the heat.
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Reduce heat to medium and add second portion of cooking oil. Add garlic and ginger to heated oil and stir fry until fragrant, ~1 minute. Add carrots, jalapenos, cabbage, and green onions with a pinch of salt. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Return pork to the wok and fold everything together. Push the pork and vegetables to the sides of the pan, making a well in the center. Give sauce a stir and pour it into the center of the pan. Allow it to cook without stirring until sauce begins to bubble. Stir everything together and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly and everything is evenly coated. Remove from heat and fold in sesame oil and lime juice. Taste and season with some salt, pepper, or more soy sauce if needed.
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Drain the liquid from the pickles.
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If rice was made ahead, warm it in the microwave.
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Serve pork and vegetables over rice and top with sesame seeds. Enjoy pickles on top or on the side.
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