Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce

Jeff the Chef
"Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce," from Make It Like a Man!

Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce is filled with the kind of satisfaction that only carbs mixed with protiens can provide. Texturally, the combination of the rice and pork, with the hot oil and runny egg, multiplies the satisfaction quotient by at least seven. The sweet spice and cymbal crash of flavor that gochujang sauce brings to this quick dish makes it totally addictive.

Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce
Print

Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce

Makes

3

large servings
Or

6

small servings

Ingredients

  • For the rice

  • 3-4 cups (no more than 1 lb.) leftover cooked rice

  • 1 lb. pork loin, cut into pea-sized chunks

  • 6 spring onions, green and white parts, sliced into 1/4-inch segments

  • 3 Tbs safflower oil

  • 1/2 tsp chicken stock reduction paste

  • 1/2 cup gochujang sauce

  • For the eggs

  • 3-6 eggs

  • 3 Tbs olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

  • For finishing up

  • Butter

Directions

  • Make the rice
  • Place the rice into a large mixing bowl and break it up until there are no clumps. Set aside.
  • Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on an ultra-high burner over very high heat (setting 8 of 9) until the pan is smoking hot, 4 minutes. Add the oil, wait until it begins to shimmer (a few seconds), and add the pork and onion. Quickly spread the mixture even across the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fully browned, 1-3 minutes.
  • Add the rice and stir constantly with a wooden spatula for 2 minutes. If a fond begins to develop, the very second you notice it, turn the heat to medium-low (setting 2) and continue stirring and frying.
  • Add the paste and sauce and give it all a good stir: just enough to make sure the rice is nicely coated, and no more. Off heat, cover and keep warm.
  • Make the eggs
  • Crack the eggs into teacups, one egg per cup. Set aside.
  • In a (not preheated) nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame (setting 4 of 9) until it ripples like gentle breeze over a pond, about 2 minutes.
  • Holding the cup very near the oil, slowly let the egg pour out of the shell and into the pan. Working quickly, repeat for remaining eggs. Cover with a spatter screen and leave the eggs untouched until the edges are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • (Optionally, gently tilt the pan, spoon up some of the oil, and baste just the whites and edges of the yolk until the whites are set, about 1 minute. Avoid the yolk so that it stays runny).
  • Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper.
  • Finish up
  • Fill a buttered 1-cup (for small servings) or 2-cup (for large servings) ramekin with rice mixture. Unmold onto a small, warm plate. Transfer an egg to the top of the rice, using a slotted spoon. Repeat for remaining servings. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Substitute as much as half of the safflower oil with bacon fat.
  • When you add the meat and onion to the pan, it will spatter, and you may find yourself wishing you’d used a spatter screen. However, the spattering will subside after only a few seconds, and the use of the screen will cause the pork to steam more than fry, which will inhibit browning.
  • If you can manage it, pour two eggs into the pan at once, one in each hand.
"Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce," from Make It Like a Man!

The Backstory

This may not be for everyone. It’s more than a little spicy, and it is intensely flavorful. But if spicy and flavorful is your kind of thing, you will do backflips over this dish.

Social Learning

The pan may develop a fond once you add the rice. Try your best to scrape it up with a wooden spatula. You may not be completely successful. However, as the rice sits in the pan, it will soften the fond, and it may come up as you remove servings – which a huge bonus, because it’s so tasty. If not, it will absolutely come up as you remove any leftovers from the pan.

My preferred way of cutting the pork is to first remove and discard any large pieces of fat, including the silverskin. Then, slice the loin lengthwise into four equal strips. (If you find this arduous, you need a better or sharper knife.) Next, slice the strips – all four at once – into slices that are as close to 1/8-inch as you can easily manage. Finally, run your knife – using a part-chopping, part-slicing method – through the entire mass of pork several times east-west, and several times north-south.

How small you get the pork pieces is up to you. A smal size will not only cook faster, but blend better with the rice in a textural sense. In addition to that, if you dry the pork out (for instance, while reheating leftovers), you won’t notice it as easily with smaller pieces.

The rice would welcome many sorts of additional veg: peas and diced carrots, for instance.

"Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce," from Make It Like a Man!
 Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Portly Gourmet. Make It Like a Man! has been ranked by Feedspot as #15 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.

Keep up with us on Bloglovin’

Large Blog Image

Gochujang Broiled Chicken Breasts
David's Pistachio Muffins, Jumbo-Sized

48 thoughts on “Pork Fried Rice with Gochujang Sauce”

  5. Oh man, this sounds delicious, Jeff. It’s like a Gochujang spin on pork fried rice. I need this in my life. Also, I cracked up at heating the oil “until it ripples like gentle breeze over a pond.” It’s perfectly descriptive!!
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Chicken Pesto Pizza Rollups

    Reply

  6. I have been reading your recipes using the sauce, and now ,with a salivating mouth, I am going to have to try and ketofy gochujang sauce so I can enjoy some of this deliciousness.
    Anne recently posted…Planning with Gratitude

    Reply

    • Do! But remember, you have to start with gochujang, and then make it into a sauce with a host of other ingredients.

      Reply

    • You just can’t beat what the egg does for the texture, yum!

      Reply

  12. I just want to make this tasty recipe so I can see the oil ripple like gentle breeze over a pond! Beautiful words. Made me instantly think of summer, btw, which I am craving like crazy right now. Unfortunately, I think this dish might be a little too exuberant for my delicate tummy but the fried egg can definitely be applied to other dishes which I love!
    Eva Taylor recently posted…Freehand Kefir, Scallion and Cheese Scones

    Reply

    • Haha! Thank you. Yes, pretty intense flavor, but mainly flavor, not too hot. And yes, bring on summer!

      Reply

  14. I havent tried fried rice and egg combination before. Rice with spices is always better. But Gochujang sauce looks so new for us.

    Reply

  15. This is the absolute best flavor AND texture combination ever. I’ve made a kimchi fried rice with bacon and I suspect this has a similar vibe. And the yolk from the egg is the perfect “sauce” for every last grain of rice. Gochujang Sauce

    Reply

    • Thank you, Shannon! I think it was actually a bit prettier than the pictures convey.

      Reply

  18. I have always been a fan of fried eggs and rice-A little kicked up, and spicy would be good too. I saw your chicken breast recipe using this sauce too. I will keep me eye out for the sauce.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Velva

    Reply

    • You have to make the sauce. Making it requires getting ahold of a tub of gochujang paste as a base for the sauce, and I’d bet you’d have to go out of your way to find. But worth it!

      Reply

  22. Jeez, Jeff — that dish is as beautiful to look at as it sounds amazing to eat! So much flavor! I have to get busy and make your gochujang sauce!

    Reply
  23. Pingback: Fried Rice - Make It Like a Man!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Website

CommentLuv badge