Dweh-ji-bul-go-gi

When it comes to food, nothing can beat mom’s home cooking. And I mean NOTHING! For me, my mom’s cooking reminds me of home, my childhood, and my family. When I’m feeling down and under the weather, my mom’s home cooking makes me feel better instantly and helps me to calm down and stop stressing out. And luckily, my mother made one of my favorite meat dishes for me today.

The name of this dish is pork bulgogi, dweh-ji-bul-go-gi in Korean. It is similar to its more commonly known counterpart, which is the beef bul-go-gi. However, the pork bul-go-gi has a completely different taste due to one of its main ingredients, crushed red pepper powder.

Now, hold on a second. I know what you’re thinking. SPICY! But, don’t fret. It’s not what you think.

The crushed red pepper powder, or go-chu-ga-ru, usually throws people off and makes them think that this pork dish is extremely spicy. Trust me; it’s not. The powder is part of the sauce that marinates the pork and simply gives the pork a different taste. Depending on the personal preference of the chef, the powder can be substituted with the Korean red pepper paste, or go-chu-jang.

The marinating sauce is either made out of the red pepper powder or paste along with some soy sauce, ginger, sesame seed oil, onions, garlic, and green onions. The meat is left to marinate in the sauce for about an hour or overnight. It is recommended that you eat all of the beef within three days of marinating it. Once the pork is marinated, grill the pork for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until it’s cooked. When serving the dish, don’t forget to sprinkle on some freshly chopped green onions and some sesame seeds!

This dish is great for barbecues and all kinds of gatherings. Since this specific dish was my mom’s home cooking, I unfortunately don’t have any restaurant and price information. However, this is becoming a regular member of the Korean B.B.Q. restaurants. And, you also find this dish at smaller venues and in food courts all around Koreatown. So, go out and explore!

I wish you all the best of luck and enjoy!