๐ฅฉ Easy One-Pan Jeyuk Bokkeum — Korean Spicy Pork with a Little Doenjang
A bite of spicy-sweet pork with warm rice makes a wonderfully satisfying dinner. Tuck some into a lettuce leaf and you get a fresh, crisp contrast to the rich sauce, too. This is jeyuk bokkeum, a Korean spicy pork stir-fry that fits right into a home kitchen.
There is no need to marinate the meat ahead of time. Allow about 10 minutes for prep, then 10–12 minutes at the stove. Thin slices and a roomy pan help everything cook evenly; thicker meat or a less powerful stove may need longer.
The small extra here is 5g of doenjang, Korean fermented soybean paste. Together with the order in which you add the seasonings, it gives this simple pan of pork a savory depth without a long list of steps.
Two small steps for a fuller flavor
Just 5g of doenjang adds an earthy, savory note behind the spicy-sweet sauce. It is a supporting seasoning here, not the main flavor.
The other trick is to briefly bubble the soy sauce on an empty patch of the hot pan before mixing it into the pork. Stir it through as soon as it smells fragrant. You are building a toasted aroma, not burning the sauce black. In the sugar version, cooking the sugar with the pork first also adds sweetness and a lightly browned flavor.
⏱ At a glance
- Serves: 2
- Prep: About 10 minutes
- Stovetop cooking: About 10–12 minutes, until the pork is fully cooked
- Optional fried rice: Add 200g cooked rice and about 4 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Equipment: A wide skillet or wok and a spatula
- Flavor: Spicy-sweet, with earthy depth from doenjang and a savory aroma from briefly bubbling soy sauce in the pan.
- Measures used here: 1 tbsp=15ml and 1 tsp=5ml. Use the gram weights for ingredients measured by weight.
๐ Ingredients
Vegetables
- 100g onion: Prepared weight, about half an onion; cut into moderately thick slices
- 60g large Korean green onion (daepa): Trimmed weight, sliced diagonally.
- 15g Cheongyang green chilies, optional: About 1–2, sliced diagonally. Leave them out for less heat. The gochujang and gochugaru still make the dish spicy.
Choose one cut of pork: 300g total
Choose thinly sliced pork for stir-frying, whichever cut you use. The cooking time below is not intended for thick pork chops or thick-cut belly.
- Pork shoulder or fresh pork leg, 300g: For a meatier bite and a less fatty finish. Use fresh, uncured meat, not ham. The main image illustrates the shoulder version.
- Pork collar or pork belly, 300g: For richer flavor from the fat. With fatty belly, reduce the starting cooking oil to about 7–8ml.
Sauce and cooking ingredients
- 30ml Korean regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang), 2 tbsp
- 15g sugar: Use the weight; about 1 tbsp is only an approximate guide.
- 30g gochujang: Korean fermented red chili paste; about 1½ tbsp as an approximate guide
- 20g gochugaru: Korean red pepper flakes
- 15g minced garlic: Approximately 1 tbsp; use the weight.
- 15ml neutral cooking oil, 1 tbsp: Reduce to about 7–8ml for fatty pork belly.
- 45ml water, 3 tbsp
- 5g traditional doenjang: Korean fermented soybean paste
- 15ml toasted sesame oil, 1 tbsp: Added off the heat
- 3g sesame seeds: Approximately 1 tsp
Look for the Korean names on the labels if these ingredients are available at a Korean or Asian grocery store or online. Gochujang, gochugaru and doenjang each bring something different; chili sauce and chili powder blends are not direct substitutes for this sauce. Weighing the pastes and flakes keeps the amounts consistent.
Using allulose or honey for cooking instead of sugar
You can use powdered allulose, liquid allulose or honey for cooking instead of the 15g sugar. Follow the product's sugar-replacement guidance and start with a modest amount rather than assuming an equal-weight swap. Check the sweetness once the pork is fully cooked.
Add any of these alternatives in step 4, after frying the pork. With sugar or powdered allulose, use the full 45ml cooking water. With liquid allulose or honey for cooking, start with 30ml water and add the remaining 15ml a little at a time if the sauce becomes stiff or starts sticking. Honey for cooking also brings its own flavor.
๐ฉ๐ณ How to make one-pan jeyuk bokkeum
1. Prepare the pork and vegetables
Slice the 100g onion and cut the 60g green onion diagonally. Slice the optional 15g chilies if using. Cut the 300g thinly sliced pork into bite-size pieces and pat the surface dry with a paper towel. Wash the knife and cutting board with detergent after handling raw pork, before they touch other ingredients.
2. Fry the pork with the sugar
Heat the 15ml cooking oil over medium heat, or use about 7–8ml for fatty belly. Add the 300g pork and 15g sugar. Separate the slices as you stir-fry for about 2–3 minutes, until the outside loses its raw color and begins to brown lightly.
If using allulose or honey for cooking, fry the pork without sugar here and save your chosen sweetener for step 4.
3. Briefly bubble the soy sauce
Push the pork to one side and pour the 30ml soy sauce onto the exposed hot pan. As soon as it bubbles and smells fragrant, stir it into the pork. Do not wait for the sauce to dry out or turn black.
4. Add the doenjang and remaining seasonings
Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the 5g doenjang, 30g gochujang, 20g gochugaru and 15g minced garlic. If replacing the sugar with allulose or honey for cooking, add that sweetener now.
For the sugar or powdered-allulose version, add all 45ml water. For liquid allulose or honey for cooking, start with 30ml and add the remaining 15ml gradually if the sauce becomes too thick or starts sticking. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, breaking up the pastes so the seasoning coats the meat evenly.
5. Add the vegetables and cook briefly
Once the pork is nearly cooked, add the 100g onion, 60g green onion and optional 15g chilies. Increase the heat as the pan allows and stir-fry briskly for about 2–3 minutes to let moisture evaporate. The onion should soften slightly but retain some bite, and the green onion should smell fragrant. Reduce the heat if the sauce begins to dry out or scorch.
6. Check the pork and finish off the heat
Make sure the pork is fully cooked through; give it more time if needed. When the sauce clings to the meat and is still moist, with no soupy puddle underneath, turn off the heat. Fold in the 15ml toasted sesame oil and 3g sesame seeds.
๐ก Ajumma's Tips
- Fragrant soy sauce, not burnt soy sauce: Mix it into the pork as soon as it bubbles and smells toasty, before it becomes bitter.
- Give the pork room: A crowded pan holds more moisture, making it harder to stir-fry the slices.
- Let the pan guide the heat: Cook the vegetables briefly, but turn the heat down if the sauce starts catching.
๐ Turn a little pork into a 4-minute fried rice
When serving the pork, leave about 30–40g of the cooked meat with its clinging sauce in the pan. The amount of sauce left and the seasoning of your kimchi will affect the finished rice, so add the rice in portions and taste as you go.
Have 200g warm cooked rice, 30g finely chopped kimchi and about 1 tbsp crumbled seasoned roasted seaweed (gim) ready. Cut the reserved pork into small pieces, then stir-fry it with the rice, kimchi and seaweed over medium heat for about 3–4 minutes. Break up the rice and distribute the pork and sauce evenly.
If the pan is too dry and the rice is difficult to stir, add 5–10ml water (1–2 tsp) a little at a time. It is ready when the rice is coated and hot throughout. Do not mix blackened, burnt sauce from the pan into the rice.
๐ฅฌ Serve with rice, leafy wraps and a clear soup
Serve the pork with warm rice, or tuck it into lettuce and perilla leaves. The fresh leaves balance the rich, spicy sauce. The main image includes a small bowl of rice and some wrapping greens alongside the pan.
A clear Korean soybean sprout soup, kongnamul-guk, or cool dongchimi—radish water kimchi with a light brine—also makes a lovely accompaniment.
Bring the pan to the table, enjoy the pork while it is warm, and save a little for that last small pan of fried rice.
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