Servings
Font
Back
4.9 from 57 votes

Pork Kimchi Stir-Fry (Buta Kimchi)

Pork Kimchi Stir-Fry, known as Buta Kimchi in Japan, is a popular home-cooked dish made with thinly sliced pork, napa cabbage kimchi, and onions. It's an easy and delicious weeknight meal ready in 20 minutes!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 2
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • ½ lb thinly-sliced pork belly (you can slice a block of pork belly on your own; you also may use thinly sliced pork loin)
  • ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ½ lb kimchi (use Fresh Kimchi or traditional fermented kimchi; roughly 1½ cups)
  • ½ onion (143 g, 5 oz)
  • 2 green onions/scallions
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil
For the Seasonings
  • 1 Tbsp sake (sake helps to remove the pork‘s gamey odor; you also can use Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, or otherwise, skip it)
  • 1 Tbsp kimchi juice (it‘s the juice from the kimchi jar)
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ingredients
  1. Cut ½ lb kimchi into smaller pieces with a knife or a pair of scissors.
  2. Cut ½ onion into slices ¼ inch (6.3 mm) thick.
  3. Cut 2 green onions/scallions into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. If the white parts are too thick, cut them in half lengthwise.
  4. Cut ½ lb thinly-sliced pork belly into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.
  5. Season the pork belly slices with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
To Stir-Fry
  1. Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil, spread it evenly, and then add the pork belly slices.
  2. Stir-fry the pork with a blunt-end wooden spatula until it is no longer pink. If your pork belly has rendered too much fat, you can wipe off the excess oil in the pan with a paper towel.
  3. Add the onion slices and green onions to the pan.
  4. Stir-fry until the onions are slightly tender, about 2–3 minutes. Then, add 1 Tbsp sake and mix well.
  5. Add the kimchi and stir to mix with the rest of the ingredients.
  6. Add 1 Tbsp kimchi juice and 2 tsp soy sauce. Stir-fry until there is no liquid left in the pan, about 1 minute.
  7. Drizzle 1 tsp toasted sesame oil on top and mix it all together. Transfer the stir-fry to a serving plate or individual plates. Serve hot with steamed rice.
To Store
  1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days and in the freezer for a month.