Kkwarigochu Dwaejigogi Bokkeum in Savory Doenjang Sauce
A side dish of pork belly and shishito peppers braised down in a savory doenjang sauce.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This stir-fry balances richness by pairing pork belly and shishito peppers in a savory doenjang seasoning. The pork belly is pan-fried first to blot away excess grease, then braised with the sauce for a clean finish. The aroma and texture of the shishito peppers also make it wonderful to serve with wrap greens.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Pork belly300 g
- Shishito peppers (kkwari-gochu)20
Seasoning
- Doenjang (Korean soybean paste)2 tsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Minced green onion2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Minced ginger1 tsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Any cut of meat works well; pork neck, Boston butt, or picnic shoulder are all fine.
- You can use mushrooms or eggplant instead of shishito peppers.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Pork belly and shishito peppers are all you need.
Any meat works fine. Pork neck, Boston butt, or picnic shoulder are all good.
You can also use mushrooms or eggplant instead of shishito peppers.
Cut the ingredients and make the sauce
Cut the pork belly into bite-sized pieces.
Cut larger shishito peppers in half and leave smaller ones whole.
Mix together all the seasoning ingredients except the ground black pepper and toasted sesame seeds.
Pan-fry the meat
Add the pork belly to a heated pan and sear both sides. Wipe away the rendered grease with paper towels as it cooks.
I seared the pork belly first to remove the excess grease, but for leaner cuts like pork neck, Boston butt, or picnic shoulder, you can marinate the meat right in the sauce and pan-fry it.
Add the sauce and braise
Once the meat is mostly cooked, pour in all the prepared sauce. When it begins to bubble vigorously...
Add the shishito peppers and simmer until tender.
Once the flavors soak into the peppers and meat and the sauce is reduced to a shallow simmer, turn off the heat, stir in the ground black pepper and toasted sesame seeds, and finish.
Finish
I had this for brunch and ended up eating quite a lot of meat for the morning.
Because the excess grease was removed and the doenjang seasoning paired with shishito peppers kept it from feeling heavy, it went down very easily.
Shishito peppers, often seen in jangjorim or braised dishes, also pair wonderfully when stir-fried with meat.
Stir-frying a generous amount gives it great texture and aroma, making it so tasty you just keep reaching for more.
Ppunwife's tips
- For leaner cuts like pork neck, Boston butt, or picnic shoulder, you can marinate the meat directly in the sauce before pan-frying.
FAQ
Can I use other cuts of pork instead of pork belly?
Any cut works well, such as pork neck, Boston butt (front shoulder), or picnic shoulder (hind leg). For leaner cuts, you can marinate them directly in the sauce before pan-frying.
Is there a substitute if I do not have shishito peppers?
Mushrooms or eggplant also go well in place of shishito peppers.
Do I have to wipe off the grease when cooking the pork belly?
Wiping away the rendered fat with paper towels as the meat cooks in the hot pan keeps the dish clean and prevents it from tasting greasy.
