This Spicy Pork Noodles recipe is a cross between two classic Korean dishes: japchae, a delicious sweet potato noodle stir fry, and jeyuk bokkeum, spicy stir fried pork. It combines the two, creating a delicious, comforting bowl of noodles, perfect for a chilli night.
Table of Contents
- Key Ingredients
- Korean Inspirations
- What’s Gochujang?
- Preparing The Pork Shoulder Steaks
- Pork Alternatives
- Long, Long Noodles
- Where to Shop for these Spicy Pork Noodles
Key Ingredients
- Pork Shoulder: Provides a tender and flavourful base for the dish.
- Gochujang: A spicy Korean red pepper paste that adds depth and heat.
- Gochugaru: Korean red pepper flakes that add a smoky, mild heat.
- Soy Sauce: Adds a salty, umami flavour to the sauce.
- Toasted White Sesame Seeds: Add a nutty flavour and crunch.
- Sugar: Balances the heat with a touch of sweetness.
- Garlic: Adds a pungent and aromatic kick.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds a rich, nutty flavour.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for stir-frying the ingredients.
- Echalion (Banana) Shallots: Add a sweet, delicate onion flavour. A cross between onions and shallots, echalion shallots quicker to prepare than the equivalent volume of shallots due to their larger size.
- Spring Onions: Add a fresh, slightly sharp flavour.
- Carrot: Adds sweetness and a bit of crunch.
- Red Bell Pepper: Adds colour and a fresh, crisp texture.
- Green Beans: Add a tender-crisp texture.
- Sweet Potato Noodles: Chewy noodles that are essential for the authentic japchae experience.
Korean Inspirations
Korean cuisine is famous for its bold flavours and vibrant colours, and this dish is no exception. Spicy Pork Noodles draws inspiration from two classic Korean dishes: japchae and jeyuk bokkeum.
Japchae is a popular Korean dish made with sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) stir-fried with vegetables and sometimes meat. You season it with a sweet soy sauce and sesame oil sauce, creating a deliciously savoury and slightly sweet flavour profile. The sweet potato noodles are chewy and bouncy, which contrasts nicely against the vegetables, as well as the sesame seeds and spring onions garnishes. Japchae is a versatile dish: you can serve it thot or cold, making it a perfect for both everyday meals and special occasions.
Jeyuk bokkeum, also known as spicy stir-fried pork, is a fiery Korean dish made with marinated pork and vegetables. The marinade typically includes gochujang, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, resulting in a dish that is both spicy and savoury. You often serve jeyuk bokkeum with rice or wrapped in lettuce leaves, allowing diners to create their own perfect bite. This dish is famous for its intense flavours and is a great way to showcase the unique taste of gochujang.
What’s Gochujang?
Gochujang is a staple ingredient in Korean cuisine. It’s a fermented red pepper paste made from red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. It had a deep, spicy flavour and a hint of sweetness, which comes from the fermentation process. Gochujang adds a complex heat to dishes, making it a perfect addition to marinades, sauces, and soups. Its versatility and unique flavour profile have made it a popular ingredient in kitchens around the world.
Preparing The Pork Shoulder Steaks
Pork shoulder is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat that’s great for slow cooking or stir-frying. It’s marbled with fat, which helps keep the meat tender and juicy during cooking. To prepare pork shoulder for this recipe, you’ll want to slice it thinly against the grain. This helps break down the muscle fibres, making the meat more tender. Marinating the pork in a mixture of gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and sugar not only adds flavour but also helps to tenderize the meat.
Pork Alternatives
While pork shoulder is the star of this dish, there are plenty of alternatives if you prefer a different protein:
- Beef: If you prefer beef, thinly sliced fillet, sirloin, or skirt steak are excellent choices. These cuts are tender and absorb the marinade well, resulting in a flavourful dish. Simply follow the same marinating and cooking instructions as you would for the pork.
- Chicken: You can absolutely substitute the pork for chicken. I recommend using chicken thigh fillets, that is, boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Vegetarian/Vegan Alternatives: You can use firm tofu or pulled king oyster mushrooms. You can press, slice and marinate firm tofu just like you would the pork. King oyster mushrooms, with their meaty texture, are a great alternative and absorb the flavours beautifully.
Long, Long Noodles
In Korean culture, long noodles symbolise longevity and are often served during celebrations and special occasions. The long noodles in this dish not only add a delightful texture but also carry the rich, spicy sauce perfectly. I’ve used sweet potato noodles in this recipe, which have a unique chewy texture that’s essential for an authentic japchae experience. You might have to cut them a few times with kitchen scissors. If you can’t find sweet potato noodles, you can use any other noodle like rice, udon or soba. The dish won’t be the same, but delicious nonetheless.
Where to Shop for these Spicy Pork Noodles
Your local grocery store may not stock some of the Korean ingredients in this dish, gochujang, gochugaru and sweet potato noodles, therefore you might need to visit your nearest Asian grocery store. If you have difficulty finding any of the ingredients locally, many online retailers offer a wide selection of Asian groceries.
Spicy Pork Noodles is a delicious and versatile dish that brings the bold flavours of Korean cuisine to your table. Whether you stick with the traditional pork shoulder or try one of the suggested alternatives, this dish is sure to satisfy. Enjoy the rich, spicy, and savoury flavours, and savour every bite of this culinary delight.
Spicy Pork Noodles
There are few things more comforting than a big bowl of noodles on a cold night. This dish is inspired by two of my favourite Korean dishes: japchae, a delicious sweet potato noodle stir fry, and jeyuk bokkeum, spicy stir fried pork.
You can substitute the pork for beef (fillet, sirloin or skirt steak). For a vegan alternatively, I’d suggest tofu or shredded king oyster mushrooms.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 250g pork shoulder steaks (see Notes for substitutions)
- 1 heaped tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsbp gochugaru
- ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
For the noodle sauce:
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
For the noodles:
- vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 2 echalion (banana) shallots (or 1 small onion), thinly sliced
- 4 spring onions, cut into 3–4 cm pieces
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 75g green beans, cut into thirds
- 250g dried sweet potato noodles (see Notes for substitutions)
Instructions
- Slice the pork shoulder steaks into very, very thin slices, about ⅛ inch thick.
- Place the gochujang, light soy sauce, gochugaru, toasted white sesame seeds, sugar and garlic in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined. Add the pork, toss well to coat and leave to marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Place the light soy sauce, toasted white sesame seeds, sugar, toasted sesame oil and garlic in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved, then set aside. This is your noodle sauce.
- Heat a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil in a large wok or saute pan set over a high heat. Add the shallots, spring onions and carrot and stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and green beans and stir fry for a further 5 minutes, or until the shallots have softened and the other vegetables are tender-crisp. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat another teaspoon or two of vegetable oil in the same wok set over a high heat. Add the marinated pork and stir fry until cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the sweet potato noodles according to the package instructions, then drain and cut them a few times with kitchen scissors (they’re traditionally very, very long).
- Add the cooked noodles to the cooked pork, along with the cooked vegetables and noodle sauce. Toss to coat and stir fry for a further 1 to 2 minutes to heat everything through.
- To serve, divide the noodles between bowls and top with an optional extra sprinkle of toasted white sesame seeds and gochugaru – enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute the pork for beef (fillet, sirloin or skirt steak). For a vegan alternative, I would suggest thinly sliced or grated extra-firm tofu or pulled king oyster mushrooms.
- Sweet potato noodles are delightfully chewy and absolutely essential for making japchae. You can buy them from most Asian supermarkets. Alternatively, you can buy them online. Though sweet potato noodles are essential to japchae, for this recipe you can use any other type of dried noodle cooked according to the packet instructions. The texture won’t be the same but they’ll still be delicious.
