Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste) Fish Ball and Kurobuta Pork (苦椒醬魚蛋豬肉, Fu2 Jiao1 Zoeng3 Jyu4 Daan6 Zyu1 Juk6)

My local Japanese market had thinly sliced Kurobuta pork loin on sale and, as usual, bought it before knowing what dish I was going to make. Kurobuta pork, or Berkshire pork, is a heritage pig, meaning that it’s not the mass farmed pig that’s raised in the USA whose meat is widely available in grocery stores. The only way I can describe the taste compared to regular is that Kurobuta pork is more “porky” tasting. If Kurobuta pork is not available at your local Asian market, then regular pork may be substituted. I added fish balls to make the classic seafood and meat combination found in Chinese dishes, and then decided to use Korean hot pepper paste and powder to give the dish an added Asian twist.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Thinly sliced Kurobuta (Berkshire) or regular pork loin meat (豬肉, zyu1 juk6), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	500 g.	Fish balls (魚蛋, jyu4 daan6), cut into halves if fish balls are large
1 lb.	500 g.	Green string beans (青豆角, ceng1 dau6 gok3), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
10	10	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Korean Hot Pepper Paste (고추장, Gochujang) (膏油醬, gou1 jau4 zeong3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Haitai Agriculture Brand Korean Hot Pepper Powder (고추가루, Gochugaru) (辣椒粉, laat6 ziu1 fan2) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions

Korean Hot Pepper Paste
(고추장, Gochujang) (膏油醬, gou¹ jau⁴ zeong³)

1. If using frozen fish balls, thaw in a covered container overnight in the refrigerator. Take the fish balls out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. If the fish balls are large, cut in half to make them easier to eat.
2. Cut the thinly sliced Kurobuta or regular pork meat into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. No need to add the baking soda to the pork since the meat is sliced so thinly.
3. Marinate the pork in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground

   

   Haitai Agriculture Brand Korean Hot Pepper Powder
   (고추가루, Gochugaru) (辣椒粉, laat6 ziu1 fan2)

   white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the pork overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
4. Pour boiling water over the dried Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid, remove the stems, and cut them into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
5. Wash and cut the green string beans into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Korean Hot Pepper Paste (Gochujang), Haitai Agriculture Brand Korean Hot Pepper Powder (Gochugaru) or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the pork. Stir fry the beef until brown by forming one layer of pork in the wok and leaving the beef alone for a while before flipping it over to brown the other side. You may have to stir fry the pork in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the browned pork to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fish balls. Stir fry the fish balls and then transfer to the bowl with the pork.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to the bowl with the pork.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the green string beans. Stir fry to brown the green string beans. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the pork back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.