Vegan Spicy Korean “Pork” (Jeyuk Bokkeum 제육볶음 or Dwaeji Bulgogi 돼지불고기)

Ingredients

• 50 g dry soy strips (, see notes for other alternatives)
• 1 1/2 tbsp gochujang ((see notes))
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 packed cup grated Fuji apple or Asian pear (see notes)
• 2-3 tsp gochugaru (Kored red chili flakes, adjust to desired heat (see notes))
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp mirin or other rice wine
• 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (adjust according to desired sweetness)
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• Spinkle sesame seeds
• Neutral oil (or sesame oil)
• 1 medium white onion (, thinly sliced)
• 1 small carrot (, peeled and thinly sliced)
• 1/4 small head cabbage (, chopped)
• 2 scallions or green onions (, sliced into 2” pieces)
• Rice cakes (optional (see notes))
• Sesame seeds (for topping)
• Steamed short grain rice
• Vegan Kimchi
• Beansprout Salad (see recipe here)
• Spicy Cucumber Salad (see similar recipe here )
• Lettuce for wrapping

Instructions

1. 1

   --- "Pork" and Marinade ---

2. 2

   You can watch the video below or see the photos above to see a step-by-step on how this dish is cooked.

3. 3

   Rehydrating the soy/plant-based meat: Rehydrate the pieces by placing these in a heat proof bowl and soaking in boiling hot water until doubled or even tripled in size. You can also rehydrate the soy pieces overnight. I simply place these in a container and add room temperature water to soak the chunks in.

4. 4

   Squeeze out the liquid from each piece. If your soy pieces are the type that are in larger pieces, you can break these apart into small pieces/strips.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing everything together. Feel free to adjust to your taste.

6. 6

   Mix the rehydrated soy chunks/protein into the sauce. Coat the pieces well. Leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes. You can even refrigerate this and leave to marinate overnight or longer until ready to cook.

7. 7

   --- Cooking ---

8. 8

   Heat a large skillet, cast iron pan, stove-top griddle or non-stick pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add in some oil. Stir-fry the onion and carrot over med high heat for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned and the carrots are tender.

9. 9

   Add in the spicy “pork” and cook down over med high heat for 4-5 minutes or until lightly brown and the pieces have absorbed the sauce. If you’re using a cast iron pan or griddle, keep an eye out and make sure to move the pieces around to make sure to evenly brown them and get a slight char, but be careful not to leave these to burn since the sauce has sugars that can easily burn.

10. 10

    You can add the cabbage and green onions halfway through cooking. I like to add the cabbage at the latter part of cooking to keep these crisp and not overcooked.

11. 11

    Serve your spicy pork with some rice, banchan (Korean side dishes) of choice, and some lettuce.You can wrap your spicy "pork" in the lettuce with some banchan, and even some rice. Stuff the wrapped lettuce in your mouth and enjoy!