Smoky Pork Korean Rice Bowl

Prep Cut pork into 3cm cubes and season with 0.5 tsp salt. Dice the tinga onion. Mince 3 garlic cloves for tinga and 2 for the vegetables. Dice tomato. Finely chop chipotles. Julienne carrot into matchsticks. Slice shiitake. Slice scallion on the bias.

Sear Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a heavy lidded pot over medium-high 90 seconds. Add pork in a single layer and sear 4 minutes turning once, until both sides are deep mahogany. Lift to a plate.

Build 1 Reduce heat to medium. Add tinga onion and cook 3 minutes until soft. Stir in tinga garlic, tomato, tomato paste, chipotles, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf 90 seconds until the base turns deep red. Return pork, add 200ml water, reduce to low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes until pork shreds easily with a fork.

Simmer Rinse rice until water runs clear. Combine with 120ml water in a small pot, bring to a boil, reduce to lowest heat, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Rest off the heat 5 minutes and fluff.

Build 2 Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch spinach 30 seconds, lift out, and squeeze dry. Toss with 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sesame oil. Blanch bean sprouts 60 seconds, drain, and toss with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp sesame oil.

Sear 2 Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high 60 seconds. Add carrot matchsticks and 1 garlic clove and stir-fry 2 minutes until just tender. Lift out. Add shiitake to the same pan with another splash of oil and sear 3 minutes until edges blacken. Toss shiitake with 1 tsp soy sauce off the heat.

Plate Whisk gochujang, honey, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Shred pork in the tinga sauce with two forks. Mound rice in a wide bowl. Section pork tinga, spinach, carrot, shiitake, and bean sprouts around the rice. Fry egg in 1 tbsp neutral oil over medium-low 3 minutes until whites set and yolk runs. Slide egg onto the center, drizzle gochujang sauce across the bowl, scatter sesame seeds and scallion, and serve.