Speedy Korean Style Spicy Pork Mince

This speedy Korean-style spicy pork mince is a great little easy midweek recipe that can be used in so many different ways. Load up some bowls with rice (or cauliflower rice), some chopped veggies, and a nice drizzle of gochujang, or add to lettuce leaves for something a bit lighter. Easily meal prepped and enjoyed for lunch and dinner throughout the week and budget-friendly to boot.

Why not add some of this Korean garlic bread on the side for something a bit different?

Korean Inspired Spicy Ground Pork

This is a great quick and easy way to serve up ground pork for dinner.

It requires only a handful of ingredients and can be made as spicy or as tame as you want, depending on who you are serving up to and their spice needs.

You will need:

• ground pork: you can go for a lean pork, or some with a little bit of fat. If you do go for the leaner mix then just be sure not to overcook, as ground pork can become very dry very quickly;
• low sodium soy sauce: I use tamari, but you can use a good quality soy sauce if that is what you have. Not all soy sauces are created equally, and some can be super salty, so be sure to check that before adding the amount as stated in the recipe. A dark soy sauce would be too intense for this recipe so avoid that if you can;
• coconut sugar: you can sub in some brown sugar if that is what you have;
• dried onion: check this to make sure there is no salt added to the mix;
• garlic cloves;
• gochujang or sriracha: I use gochujang as I always have some on hand, however for some it can be hard to find, so you can sub in some sriracha if that is what you have. It is different flavor-wise, but it will still work. Add more or less depending on how much you like spicy food;
• fresh ginger: you can sub in some ground ginger if you prefer but you will have to vary the amount and for every 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, only use ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger;
• sesame oil;
• mirin: found in the Asian section of most well stocked grocery stores;
• spring onions and sesame seeds: this is for serving but is definitely necessary.

Depending on how you are serving up your spicy pork you will need some additional extras like kimchi, rice, chopped veggies etc.

Cooking and Assembly Instructions

No special skills are required for cooking up this easy recipe, however, I do have a few tips to make sure you end up with the best version.

Use A Whisk (Or A Wooden Spoon) To Cook The Ground Pork

Heat the sesame oil over medium heat in a large frying pan or wok and once heated add the ground pork to the hot pan.

As you cook the pork, be sure to use a wooden spoon or a whisk to gently 'mash' the pork mixture as it cooks.

Doing this helps break up the pork into evenly sized pieces which will then in turn cook evenly and allow for an even distribution of the sauce.

TIP: sometimes depending on the quality of the pork or how fatty it is you may have a lot of fat or water come out of the pork whilst cooking. If this is the case you might want to use a slotted spoon to remove the pork mince from the pan, before rinsing it out and continuing with the recipe.

Check Your Soy Sauce

Choosing the right soy sauce can make or break a meal.

Some soy sauces can be super salty and really require diluting before using in a recipe like this.

If you have a really salty soy sauce just go with half the required amount of soy sauce, and half water.

You can always add more in at the end if needed.

How To Prepare

Once you have cooked the ground pork you will want to mix together the garlic, soy sauce and coconut sugar.

Mix well until the sugar has dissolved.

Add this sauce mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the cooked pork and allow to cook for about another 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and evenly coated the pork mixture.

Use a wooden spoon or a whisk to 'mash' the pork as you are cooking it. This will help it to break up, cook evenly and get rid of any clumps.

Meal Prep Tips

Ground pork cooked in this way is great for meal prepping.

Simply cook it according to the recipe card below and keep stored in the fridge until needed.

It can be reheated in the microwave, or on the stovetop, just be careful not to overheat it, as the pork will easily become dry.

This works well packed for lunches with a side or rice, or riced vegetables, and lots of chopped veggies and topped with green onion.

It can also be eaten for breakfast with some eggs!

How To Store and Freeze

Allow the spicy pork mince to cool completely before popping into an airtight container and storing it in the fridge.

It should last 3-4 days if stored correctly.

Store for 3-4 days in the fridge, or 2-3 months in the freezer.

This can also be frozen for about 2 to 3 months if stored correctly and kept constantly frozen in that time.

What To Serve With Spicy Korean Ground Pork Mince

This spicy pork mince is super versatile and lends itself well to being served up in lots of different ways.

No matter what way you serve it, be sure to load up on green onions and sesame seeds!

• kimchi;
• gochujang;
• as a pork stir fry with some cooked egg noodles;
• as spicy pork noodles;
• on top of some brown or white rice;
• with a drizzle of chilli oil
• with some Korean Japchae;
• serve up bowl style with some rice and chopped veggies like green beans;
• stuff the pork mince into lettuce leaves and drizzle on some gochujang and sesame seeds before serving;
• add to this 15 Minute Spicy Pork and Miso Noodle Soup.

Be sure to change the spice level to make the meal edible by the whole family, you can always add more spice on serving up.

Need More Healthy Recipes Using Ground Pork?

We have a good local butcher who does great ground pork, so it's something we tend to use every now and again.

It is super versatile and can be used in lots of different ways to make up a healthy dinner.

Why not try a different ground pork recipe next:

• Grab and Go Pork Sausage Egg Muffin Cups
• Self Saucing Honey Ginger and Garlic Pork Meatballs
• Easy Vegetable and Pork San Choy Bow At Home
• Slow Cooked Minced Pork Ragu

Or if you want a whole round-up of ground pork recipes then this is for you!

Happy Eating.

xx

Recipe

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.