A ground pork recipe you’ll love — with fiery, spicy Gochujang! An easy Korean-inspired stir fry made with mince pork and pantry ingredients. Get your Korean fix with exciting, satisfying, 15-minute Gochujang Pork Rice Bowls!
The one protein that’s always in my fridge: ground pork. Also known as mince pork, it’s affordable, accessible, and easy to find. Versatile, full of protein, and incredibly fast cooking – it’s my weeknight dinner protein of choice!
Why Gochujang Pork Rice Bowls?
Whenever I want to jazz up weeknight dinner, I turn to Korean ingredients and flavors. And Gochujang Pork Rice Bowls are such an easy way to spice up a regular ground pork stir fry!
Fiery, intensely-flavored, and full of crispy, caramelized Gochujang pork bits! A one-bowl meal. With customizable toppings. Just what we need to shake up our dinnertime rut!
BIG Korean flavors. 15-minute FAST cooking time. Easy to serve. Accessible ingredients!
Similar to Ground Beef Bulgogi Bowls, Gochujang Pork Rice Bowls are such a fun and tasty way to utilize ground or mince meat. The simplicity of these easy bowls will have you turning to them, again and again!
Ingredients:
A minimal list of ingredients. Except for the ground pork, everything else is a pantry staple in my kitchen.
- Ground Pork. Accessible and affordable. Medium or lean ground pork both work well.
- Gochujang. Korean fermented chili paste. Spicy-sweet, rich flavor and depth.
- Onion + Garlic + Ginger. The essential aromatics.
- Mirin. Korean/Japanese sweet cooking wine.
- Soy Sauce. Deep, umami-rich flavor.
- Sugar. To balance all that spicy heat!
- Sesame Oil. Nutty fragrance and richness.
Instructions:
- Mix ground pork + marinade together in a bowl
- In a wok, cook onions, garlic, and ginger until soft and translucent.
- Add marinated pork, breaking up the bits with a metal spatula.
- Keep cooking until the pork caramelizes and you see crispy bits here and there.
- Divide pork evenly into bowls over rice. Optional: add avocado, cucumber, a fried egg, or any other vegetable of your choosing. Enjoy!
Add toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Pro Tips:
- Check Gochujang for spice level. Most Gochujang is labeled with a spice level ranging from 1-5. Choose the spicy level you like best. I use medium level 3 as you can always add more spice but it’s hard to take it out.
- Caramelize the pork mince. The secret to this dish is to keep cooking the ground pork until it’s caramelized to a deep golden brown. When it’s done, the pork will be crispy and full of deep flavor! No more sad, brown, soft, unappealing pork mince. Instead, you’ll see crunchy golden bits of ground pork that contain so much delicious flavor and texture!
Kitchen Tools:
- Wok. A wok is helpful for caramelizing the ground pork at the end. A non-stick skillet will also work but it will take longer for the pork to turn golden brown and crispy.
- Large Spatula. I use a large fish spatula that can mix, toss, and break up the ground pork with ease.
How to serve it:
As always, there are countless ways to enjoy Korean-inspired rice bowls. Favorite additions include:
- Fried egg. The classic Korean way to enjoy a rice bowl!
- Avocado. Thick, creamy slices balance the spicy richness of the gochujang marinated pork.
- Cucumber. Adds freshness and crunch!
- Gochujang Sauce. Also known as Bibimbap Sauce or Cho Gochujang, a drizzle makes everything more delicious.
- Lettuce Wraps. Make a Korean-style BBQ wrap with fresh lettuce and perilla leaves.
- Green onions. Finely diced green onions add light onion flavor, color, and texture. So fresh!
- Kimchi. Spicy, pungent, deeply flavored, fermented goodness!
Or, swap out the white rice and replace with:
- Mixed salad greens
- Korean Purple Rice
FAQ:
Where can I find Gochujang?
Gochujang can be found in Korean grocery stores and most Asian grocery stores. I’ve even seen Gochujang in the international aisle of big box grocery stores and online.
Choose Gochujang made in Korea or manufactured by a Korean company for best flavor.
How do I store Gochujang?
Once opened, keep Gochujang in the fridge. Make sure it’s tightly wrapped and sealed so it doesn’t dry out. And store in a cold part of the fridge.
If your Gochujang comes in a tub with a plastic liner, don’t throw it out! Instead, open it halfway, like a flap. Open or close the flap whenever the gochujang needs accessing. This lining will prevent your gochujang from drying out.
Can I make this less spicy?
Yes, definitely! Use less gochujang — instead of 1/4 cup, use 2 Tbsp. And look at the spicy level on the package of your Gochujang. You can choose spice level 1 for the least amount of heat.
More Gochujang recipes to love:
- Slow Cooker Gochujang Pork
- Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks
- Spicy Pork Belly Bulgogi
- Gochujang Sauce
- Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos
Gochujang Pork Rice Bowls
Equipment
- Wok (a non-stick skillet can also work)
- Large spatula
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 inch ginger (minced)
Marinade:
- 1/4 cup Gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
- 2 Tbsp Mirin (Korean cooking wine)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
Garnish:
- 2 green onions (chopped)
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Using a fork, mix marinade ingredients until smooth. Add ground pork and mix until well combined.
- Heat a wok over medium high heat. When the wok is hot but not smoking, add 2 Tbsp neutral oil (I use grapeseed oil). Add chopped onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add marinated pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Break up the ground pork with a metal spatula or wooden spoon, about 4-5 minutes.
- Keep cooking until the pork caramelizes and you see crispy bits here and there, about 2-3 minutes more.
- Garnish by adding green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- Divide pork evenly into 4 bowls, over a bed of warm rice. Serve with kimchi on the side. Optional: add avocado, cucumber, a fried egg, or any other vegetable of your choice. Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! The extra cooking time to crisp up the minced pork was so worth it! I used half the amount of gochujang sauce as we prefer mildly spicy foods. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I never comment on recipes, but WOW, this is amazingly easy and DELICIOUS! I used a plant based ground meat alternative and it is delish! This will be a keeper! Thank you so much!
So good!! Will definitely do this again. I added mushroom with the meat. I also had steamed broccolini and beans to have on the side.
This was so tasty! I added a bit of gochugaru for an extra kick. I ate mine with cucumbers, kimchi, and an egg, on a bed of cauliflower rice. 10/10 I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
I just found your site and loving looking at your recipes! Do you have a favorite Gochujang? Thank you for all this awesomeness!
Thank you, Krystal! I usually buy Gochujang that’s on sale at the Korean supermarket. But here are some general tips: I go for the kind with the gold-coloured lid vs the all red-one, if there’s a choice. Also, check the spicyness level on the label. They come in a range from mild to very spicy! Also, check the back to make sure it’s imported from Korea or at the very least, imported by a Korean company in the states. Hope this helps!
So easy to make but so delicious. I can’t get a crisp on my pork if I start it out with the marinade so I brown the meat with some crisp and then add the marinade for a couple minutes.