This recipe for Korean-Style Fried Pork starts with a pork tenderloin, then follows a path that includes gochujang, rice noodles, and toasted sesame seeds, and finally ends up becoming an almost indescribably flavorful and deeply satisfying dish.
Start cooking the noodles just after deglazing the frying pan.
Ingredients
- For the pork
13-14 oz.pork loin (1/2 of a typical loin), patted dry, silverskin removed, cubed
Soy sauce
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece of ginger, (peeled and) minced
2 Tbs gochujang
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs maple syrup
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
- For the noodles
7 oz. rice vermicelli
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
Chilli flakes, to taste, optional
Salt and pepper
- For assembly
Sesame seeds
1 spring onion, snipped into thin slices
Directions
- Put water on to boil for the noodles.
- Make the pork
- Toss pork with 2 tsp soy sauce, or to taste. Add paprika and cornstarch gradually, as you continue to toss. Heat oil in a large (cast-iron) skillet over medium heat (setting 4 out of 9), swirling the pan around so that the oil coats the entire bottom of the pan. Add the pork and use tongs to separate the cubes from one another and distribute them across the pan. Fry until browned and cooked through, turning the cubes once about half-way through, and then constantly toward the end, about 8-10 minutes total. Cut one of the larger cubes in half to verify that the pork is cooked through. Remove pork to a plate and set aside.
- Add garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup water, then turn off the heat. Measure remaining ingredients into the skillet. Add soy sauce to taste (as little as none, to as much as 4 Tablespoons), turn the heat back on, and cook as you stir the ingredients together and thicken the sauce, 2 minutes. Add pork and toss to coat. Keep warm (or rewarm when ready).
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. If those directions offer you a range of cooking times, opt for the maximum amount.
- Make the noodles
- Mix together sesame oil, vinegar, (and chilli flakes).
- Pour the drained noodles back into the (empty) pot you boiled them in. Add just enough of the sesame oil mixture to lightly coat the noodles. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Assemble the dish
- Place pork and noodles on opposite sides of a shallow bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds, a generous amount of spring onion, and a generous drizzle of the sesame oil mixture. To eat, stir the pork into the noodles.
Social Learning
This is a guest-worthy dish. The pork looks so gorgeous, that your friends will swear it’s take-out. And if it looks good, it tastes even better. Your guests will freak the hell out in the best possible way.
Although it serves only two (but generously), you can stretch it to three, and beyond that, it can be doubled easily – in which case, you will likely have to fry the pork in batches.
When you toss the pork into the frying pan, it will very quickly stick. So, if you’re going to distribute the cubes, you must act fast. You’ll know when it’s time to turn the cubes when they no longer stick, or when they seem exceedingly easy to dislodge.
The Backstory
This fried pork is legitimately delicious. It’s spicy, yes, but it’s more flavorful than spicy. The pork is astonishingly tender. The umami is through the roof.
Korean-style fried pork is a modification of a tofu recipe that I found on Instagram. I love tofu – no kidding, I do. But I also love pork.
Korean-Style Fried Pork
Credit for images on this page: unless cited otherwise, Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thanks, Kesor. References: Sepp_Eats on Instagram, The Twin Cooking Project.
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It sounds and looks really flavourful and moreish with that simple gochujan sauce.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Sourdough Bread with Blackberry Rosemary Pomace
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Jeff, this looks like something I need to make very soon! Beautiful dish. Always on the lookout for a good pork tenderloin recipe, and this one definitely makes the grade.
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Mmmmm. I love what you added to the gochujang – especially the maple syrup! Great dish.
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Looks like a winner, though I’m pretty unfamiliar with this cuisine. In my suburban region, I can’t remember seeing any Korean restaurants, though there very well might be some. There are plenty of Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Mexican, though, among others.
Well if you come across some Korean BBQ, don’t pass it up!
Did you say 2 generous servings? I’ll take the entire dish for myself (Well, I will regret later, but who cares?!) It looks terrific!
I know what you mean, Ben!
Looks fabulous! We love Korean food. I’ll need to find some gochujang sauce, it won’t be a problem as we have fantastic Asian markets. Pork tenderloin is one of my favourite cuts of pork and, I always have some in the freezer.
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Holy pigs, Jeff – this looks amazing! I can see why this earned the title of guest-worthy. The flavors in this recipe sound intense in a good way, and my mouth is watering…and it’s not even 8am here yet. Does it go well with coffee? 🙂
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I don’t know about the coffee, but I’d have it for breakfast!
I am totally on board with this! I can’t tell you how excited I am that I found gochujang that doesn’t have garlic. It makes Korean culinary exploration so much more possible. I’m putting this on the menu for next week. Thanks, Jeff, for another recipe that I know will become a favorite in our household. (Mark complains that I’m not making enough spicy foods. Harrumph.)
Haha! Well, this is flavor packed, but not necessarily hot. It can be made hot, though, easily.
Our gochujang packs in som good heat, Jeff — should be enough to make him happy.
I would be very happy to be a guest eating this. We don’t eat Korean normally and I don’t have Gochujang, so this would be a delightful change of cuisine on our table. Thanks for the inspiration Jeff
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I can never get enough gochujang, so I gotta try this dish. Love quick, easy dishes like this. Thanks!
John+/+Kitchen+Riffs recently posted…The Beachcomber’s Punch Cocktail
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yummy!!!!
Your fried Korean pork recipe sounds wonderful. I usually grill the meat when I make a similar dish but I know my husband would really enjoy your version.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted…A Diagnosis Of Colon Cancer
Oh, I think this would be fantastic grilled!
Such a delicious and flavorful meal! This pork looks perfect!
Jeff,
I love the flavors of Asian sauces. This sounds delicious and I’ll bet I could try it with cubed tofu!
Judee recently posted…Roasted Vegetable Pasta Primavera
Oh, it’d be fanstastic with tofu. In that case, though, you should see the original recipe. I think you might like this cook.
Adoro questo gusto orientaleggiante per la carne, ottimo piatto!!!!
Thank you!
Howdy there Jeff, returning to the blogosphere after a summer break landed me on this great-looking recipe. We love Korean fried chicken, so I know we’ll love this. This will be a fun recipe to prepare on a soon-to-come chilly night…
Ugh, don’t remind me that chilly nights are coming! Although it does bring on a lot of comfort food. Thanks, Ron!
I love gochujang and with everything you’ve added to it, the pork must be absolutely amazing! 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you! It is!
I do not like Asian dishes because of their excessive spiciness. But here, it seems, there are no such burning spices. So it should be delicious)
Well, at least you can control how spicy it is.