Duruchigi (Stir-Braised Spicy Pork)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch wide skillet, shallow jeongol pan, or heavy saute pan
• •Mixing bowl
• •Tongs or long cooking chopsticks

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the seasoning

   Stir together the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, mirim, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and kimchi juice. Use only 1 tablespoon gochujang. Too much makes the sauce heavy and sweet, and then the kimchi and pork disappear under paste.

   Taste your kimchi first. If it is very salty, reduce the soy sauce by 1 teaspoon. If it is mild and young, add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar to the seasoning to give the dish the sour edge ripe kimchi would have brought.
2. 2

   Season the pork

   Toss the sliced pork with half of the seasoning paste and let it sit for 10 minutes while you cut the vegetables. This is not a long marinade. It is just enough time for the chili, soy, and garlic to cling to the surface before the pork hits the pan.

3. 3

   Sear the pork

   Heat a wide skillet or shallow jeongol pan over medium-high heat and add the neutral oil. Spread the pork in a single layer and let it brown for 2 minutes before turning. Work in two batches if your pan is small. Browning first gives the pork flavor the short braise cannot build later.

4. 4

   Fry the kimchi

   Push the pork to one side and add the kimchi, onion, and carrot. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the kimchi darkens slightly and the onion begins to soften. Frying the kimchi before adding broth wakes up its sourness and keeps the final sauce from tasting raw.

5. 5

   Braise it shallow

   Add the remaining seasoning paste and 3/4 cup broth or water. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan, then lower the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes. The liquid should reduce to a glossy red sauce with a shallow spoonable pool at the bottom, not a soup.

6. 6

   Finish the greens

   Add the scallions, green chili, red chili if using, and torn perilla leaves. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, just until the scallions bend and the chilies brighten. Add these late because their job is freshness and lift, not surrender.

7. 7

   Taste and serve

   Taste the sauce before serving. If it is flat, add 1 teaspoon kimchi juice. If it is too sharp, add 1 teaspoon broth and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Scatter sesame seeds over the top and bring the pan to the table with hot rice. Duruchigi should leave enough sauce for the last spoonful of rice, but not enough to call itself jjigae.

Chef Tips

• •Pork shoulder or collar is better than pork loin here. The fat keeps the meat tender through the sear and the shallow braise. Thin pork belly also works, but reduce the oil to 1 teaspoon and spoon off extra fat if the pan looks greasy.
• •Ripe kimchi is not optional in spirit. If your kimchi is young, cook it 2 minutes longer with the onion and add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. It will not be the same, but it will move in the right direction.
• •For a Chungcheong-leaning pan, use the full 3/4 cup broth and leave it saucy. For a Gyeongsang-leaning pan, add another 1 teaspoon gochugaru and reduce the broth to 1/2 cup. Do not add more gochujang first; that makes it thick, not fierce.
• •The safe shortcut is using water instead of anchovy-kelp broth on a weeknight. The unsafe shortcut is skipping the sear. Without that first hard contact with the pan, the dish loses its shape.

Advance Preparation

• •The seasoning paste can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir before using, because the gochugaru will thicken it as it sits.
• •The pork can be sliced a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Do not mix it with the seasoning more than 2 hours ahead, or the soy and garlic will make the surface too wet for good browning.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Reheat in a skillet with 2 tablespoons water, then reduce again until glossy. It is good folded into rice the next day with a fried egg, which is how many Korean kitchens finish the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 465g)