While working out with a friend from my neighborhood, we were chatting about this and that, and she mentioned that her husband absolutely loves jeyuk bokkeum.
But here’s the interesting part.
Her husband isn’t good with spicy food.
And yet, somehow, jeyuk bokkeum is the exception. ^^
And did I mention that her husband is American?
As soon as I heard that, I had a funny thought.
“Does jeyuk bokkeum somehow cross borders and win over men everywhere?” Haha!
Then, one person suddenly came to mind.
Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, who voiced Gwi-Ma in KPop Demon Hunters.
His wife, actress Lee Min-jung, once talked on her YouTube channel about how much her husband loves jeyuk bokkeum.
The title of her YouTube video even jokes that her husband eats it “seven days a week.” ^^
Korean men love it.
American men love it.
So… is jeyuk bokkeum really a dish that wins over men across borders? Haha!
If you’re curious about what makes this dish so irresistible, why not try making it yourself?
Today, I’m going to show you a simple way to make jeyuk bokkeum using thinly sliced pork.
We won’t marinate the pork ahead of time. Instead, we’ll quickly stir-fry everything together over high heat.
Ready?
Let’s start cooking!
This recipe makes about 2 servings. ^^
Ingredients
- 400 g thinly sliced pork
- ½ onion
- 1 large green onion
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- A little black pepper
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Thinly sliced pork shoulder or pork neck works well for this recipe.
If you can’t find thinly sliced pork where you live, here’s a simple trick.
Put the pork in the freezer for about 30 minutes until it becomes slightly firm. This will make it much easier to slice thinly.
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Korean soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon cooking wine or mirin
- 2 tablespoons water
- A pinch of ground ginger or a very small amount of minced ginger (optional)
Add all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix them together.
Shall We Start Cooking?
1. First, thinly slice the onion and chop the green onion.
We’re going to divide the green onion into two portions.
We’ll use half at the beginning to make green onion oil, and we’ll add the other half near the end to keep its fresh aroma and texture.
2. Sprinkle a little black pepper over the thinly sliced pork.
Today, we’re not going to marinate the pork.
Because the pork is sliced thinly, it can quickly absorb the flavor of the sauce while cooking over high heat.
Skipping the marinating step also allows us to quickly stir-fry the pork and sauce together, creating a deeper, more roasted flavor.
3. Heat your pan well and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
Add half of the green onion and stir-fry it.
Let the green onion flavor infuse into the oil.
Cook until the edges of the green onion become slightly golden. This will give the dish an even deeper aroma.
4. Now, gently push the green onions to one side of the pan.
Pour the prepared sauce into the empty space.
Don’t mix it with the pork right away.
Let the sauce sizzle directly on the hot pan for just a few seconds.
As the soy sauce hits the hot pan, it develops a deeper, richer, slightly roasted aroma.
But be careful!
If you leave it too long, the sauce can burn.
* Jin’s Cooking Tip: We’re Not Burning the Sauce!
No, we’re not trying to burn the sauce. ^^
The key is to let the sauce touch the hot pan directly and sizzle for just a few seconds.
When the soy sauce and sugar hit the hot pan, they can develop a deeper and richer aroma.
As soon as you smell that delicious, savory aroma, move on to the next step!
5. Now add the pork and quickly stir-fry it over high heat.
If the slices of pork are sticking together, use tongs or a spatula to separate them as they cook.
If you overcrowd the pan or cook over low heat, the pork may release a lot of liquid.
Remember…
We’re stir-frying the pork, not boiling it!
So keep the heat high if you can.
6. When the pork is almost cooked, add the thinly sliced onion.
Quickly stir-fry everything together.
If you’d like a little more heat and a brighter red color, you can add another ½ tablespoon of gochugaru at this point.
7. When the onion is slightly cooked but still has a little bite, add the remaining green onion.
Drizzle in ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and give everything a quick toss.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
And…
It’s done!
Don’t forget to prepare a bowl of warm rice.
Why?
Because this jeyuk bokkeum might make an entire bowl of rice disappear before you know it. Haha!
맛있게 드세요! Enjoy!
Korean Expression: “최애” (choe-ae)
In today’s title, I used the Korean expression “최애 음식” (choe-ae eumsik).
“최애” (choe-ae) is a word Koreans often use in everyday conversation.
It means “the thing you love the most” or simply “your absolute favorite.”
In English, you can think of it as “favorite” or “all-time favorite.”
For example:
“내 최애 음식은 제육볶음이야.”
Jeyuk bokkeum is my favorite food.
“이 노래는 내 최애야.”
This song is my favorite.
“내 최애 배우는 이병헌이야.”
Lee Byung-hun is my favorite actor.
The word “최애” comes from the Chinese characters 最愛, which literally mean “most loved.”
These days, Koreans naturally use choe-ae when talking about something they really love—a favorite food, song, actor, beauty product, and more.
So, give this jeyuk bokkeum a try.
Who knows?
It might just become your new 최애 음식—your new favorite food! ^^