Soybean Paste Pork Belly

Soybean Paste Pork Belly is a Chef Chris Cho original. If you’re looking for a different way to cook up your pork belly, this is definitely a must-try. 

Ever catch a sale on Costco and buy a bunch of pork belly? My wife did. I enjoyed it at first because I LOVE pork belly, but after a few dishes, I got tired of the same old spicy marinade. 

Of course, we’re not going to waste any food so I freestyled this recipe and it turned out so good. The pork tastes a little bit like jjajangmyeon, minus the bitter taste from the black bean paste. It also has a spicy kick like the classic jeyuk bokkeum. 

This recipe is salty, spicy, and filled with umami. It’s a great dish that makes you want to drink soju or what we call “soju booloonun ahnjoo”. 

Main Ingredient: Soybean Paste

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Soybean Paste or Doenjang is soybeans fermented in salt. It turns into a brown chunky paste that tastes sour, salty, and funky just like any fermented food. 

It is a common ingredient in Korean cooking that is used to make ssamjang (Korean BBQ sauce) and Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean Paste Soup). 

The paste is very close to miso, but they are different in terms of taste. If you plan to make this dish, but you do not have Doenjang, feel free to use miso. Any other paste might not yield the same results. 

Other Ingredients for Soybean Paste Pork Belly

As I was formulating the recipe, I made sure to include my favorite parts of any dish. This will then result in different flavor profiles and textures that blend beautifully and complements the pork belly really well. 

Sauce

• Oyster Sauce or Soy Sauce – This is optional but in any dish, using these ingredients helps bring out the taste of the other elements of the dish. We are only using a small amount to serve its very purpose. I promise it won’t be salty. 
• Cooking Wine or Soju – Aside from aromatics, using cooking wine or any alcohol will bring balance to the strong flavors from the pork, soybean paste, and oyster sauce. 
• Sugar – We’re only using a little bit for balance of flavors. 
• Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil – For a nutty and earthy finish to the whole dish. 

Fried Garlic 

We will use the rendered fat from the pork belly to fry garlic slices. This will serve as a crispy topping and a counteract to the fatty taste of the pork. Although I am allergic, I know this is a necessary part of the dish. I also used some minced garlic in the actual stir fry. Feel free to use a lot more or less of this when you remake them. 

Onion and Scallions 

We will be using scallions to make “pagirum” or scallion oil. This, along with the onion, will bring is fresh and fragrant taste which will also cut through the fat of the pork. Because of the strong flavors in this dish, we need as much aromatics as we can. Leave some raw scallions for topping as well. 

Jalapeño 

This is for the spicy kick of the dish. I opted to put it as a topping freshly chopped and not sauteed. The main reason is that I love raw chili peppers. It’s spicy, it’s crunchy, and it also brings freshness to the dish. Put as much pepper as you like. 

How to make Soybean Paste Pork Belly?

First off, we’re going to pan-fry the pork belly. The goal is to give it a beautiful color which will also translate to more flavor. 

Secondly, set aside the pork to fry your garlic in the rendered fat. We won’t be wasting all that flavor! 

Third, saute the pork with the scallions and onion to infuse all its flavors together. On the other hand, combine soybean paste, garlic, soju, sugar, oyster sauce, and dilute it in water. I opted not to marinade because I want the sauce to reduce and be absorbed fully by the pork belly.

Add the sauce to the pork and let it cook down until there’s very little to none left. Transfer to a plate, top with sesame oil, sesame seeds, fresh scallions, and jalapeño. You won’t regret trying this recipe out!

Serving Soybean Paste Pork Belly 

As mentioned, this can be consumed as it is with alcohol on the side. However, you can also pair this with rice, spicy cold noodles, or any Korean side dishes like napa cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, cucumber salad, etc. 

Other tasty main dishes you might like:

• Korean Spicy Chicken BBQ
• Soy Garlic Chicken BBQ
• Korean Boiled Pork Belly
• LA Galbi
• Loco Moco
• Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs

Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo! 

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Soybean Paste Pork Belly

Soybean Paste Pork Belly is a Chef Chris Cho original. If you’re looking for a different way to cook up your pork belly, this is definitely a must-try. 

Prep Time12 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Soybean Paste Pork Belly

Servings: 2 people

Author: Chef Chris Cho

Ingredients

• 500 grams Pork Belly Chopped to bite-size
• 3-4 cloves Garlic Sliced
• 1/2 Whole Onion Minced
• 2 stalks Scallions Chopped, For sauteing and garnish
• 1 pc Jalapeño Sliced, For garnish
• Sesame Oil For garnish
• Sesame Seeds For garnish

Soybean Paste Sauce

• 1 tbsp Soy Bean Paste
• 1 tbsp Garlic Minced
• 1 tbsp Cooking Wine or Soju
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce or Soy Sauce Optional
• 1/3 cup Water

Instructions

• Prepare the pork belly, garlic, onion, scallions, and jalapeño.
• On high heat, cook pork belly until crispy and lightly brown.
• Remove the pork belly from the pan and set aside, then fry the garlic in the pork fat until crispy and light brown. Set the garlic aside.
• Remove the pork fat from the pan with a paper towel and put back the pork belly back into the pan.
• Add the chopped onions and scallions to the pan, saute it all together until fragrant.
• Meanwhile, combine soybean paste, garlic, soju, sugar, oyster sauce, and water. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the sauce to the pan. Simmer until water reduces, and the pork belly is thoroughly cooked.
• Transfer to a plate and garnish with fried garlic, scallions, jalapeño peppers, sesame seeds, and sesame oil.

Video

Posted By: Chef Chris Cho · In: 30-Mins / One Pot / One Pan Dishes, Everything Korean BBQ, Main Dishes, Mild Spicy, Pork