Buta Kimchi is our favourite quick & easy Japanese Kimchi Pork Stir Fry recipe that’s simple to make and big on flavour!
This delicious Kimchi Pork dish is one of our family’s favourite recipes to cook at home when craving a tasty trip to Japan.
The homemade recipe features crispy pork belly fried with crunchy kimchi and bean sprouts in a flavourful mouthwatering sauce.
Serve with steamed rice and and glass of ice cold beer, sake or soju for a meal that is sure to impress dinner party guests.
Save this story to Pinterest!
What Is Buta Kimchi?
Buta Kimchi is a popular Japanese dish featuring Korean flavours, which is essentially a Kimchi Pork Belly Stir Fry.
The spicy dish is popularly served in Japan at Izakayas, neighbourhood snack bars that serve a selection of small appetizers with alcoholic drinks like beer and sake.
Buta Kimchi is a milder Japanese version of the Korean dish Jaeyook Bokkeum. Jeyuk means pork and bokkeum refers to the traditional Chinese cooking technique of “cutting food into small pieces and stirring constantly in a lightly oiled wok or frying pan over high heat.”
Our authentic Buta Kimchi recipe is quick & easy to make at home. The homemade recipe features crispy pork belly fried with crunchy kimchi in a flavourful sauce.
This Kimchi Pork Belly dish stands out for its mouth-watering sauce, prepared with classic Asian pantry staples like soy sauce, mirin, soju or sake, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.
Travel to Japan by Cooking Kimchi Pork Belly Stir Fry at Home
I love traveling through Asia.
My first visit had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeast Asia for 6 months, visiting India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Macau and the Maldives.
I spent 2 weeks traveling by bus and bullet train through Japan in the warm summer months. I started in Yokohama then explored Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.
What I found most fascinating is Japan’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in France, Germany, Italy or Spain, each town in Japan had its own local speciality.
After eating my way through rowdy Izakaya in Tokyo and Osaka I fell in love with Buta Kimchi. Share your addiction for this Kimchi Pork Belly dish by cooking it for friends and family at home!
You May Also Enjoy Reading…
- Travel to Osaka, Japan
- Travel to Nara, Japan
- Friday in Kyoto, Japan
- Thursday in Kyoto, Japan
- Wednesday in Kyoto, Japan
- Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan
- Monday in Tokyo, Japan
- Sunday in Tokyo, Japan
- Travel to Yokohama, Japan
Where To Eat Buta Kimchi
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Japanese restaurant that serves authentic Buta Kimchi.
Haven’t traveled to Japan before? It may be helpful to first sample Kimchi Pork Stir Fry at a local Japanese restaurant to better understand how it is served. You can determine the ideal pork belly to kimchi ratio, thickness of the sauce and what side dishes to serve with the popular Korean / Japanese fusion dish.
In Toronto, popular Japanese restaurants in Yorkville, King West and Ossington that may serve Kimchi Pork include Sara, Fuwa Fuwa, Benihana, Hapa Izakaya, Koyoi, Kingyo, Santouka Ramen, Japango, Sushi Inn, Okonomi House and Kasa Moto.
My Family Loves Kimchi Pork Belly Stir Fry
I love cooking regional recipes at home inspired by my travels.
Whenever my family dine at a Japanese restaurant for dinner I order up all the sushi and my dad eats a massive plate of grilled meat like yakitori or teriyaki, all to himself.
I knew my parents would enjoy this delicious Buta Kimchi recipe as they love crispy fried pork belly, healthy kimchi and quick & easy Asian dishes.
This dish is a star in the kitchen during busy weeknights as most of the ingredients can typically be found in your fridge or cupboards. We love to make the dish whenever we see pork belly on sale at the butcher or grocery store. It’s also a great way to use up homemade kimchi, which we store in the back of the fridge.
The dish can be served as a snack with a glass of cold beer or as part of a larger dinner with a bowl of steamed rice and miso soup.
Buta Kimchi Recipe Health Benefits
Our homemade Buta Kimchi recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Pork is an excellent source of protein and provides several important vitamins and minerals. It’s an excellent source of thiamin, selenium, niacin, vitamin B-6 and phosphorus, zinc, riboflavin and potassium.
Scallions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
A useful source of copper, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus, sesame seeds help support circulatory, digestive and skeletal health.
Bean sprouts are an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect against cell damage and may reduce the risk cancer and heart disease.
Kimchi has an excellent nutritional profile and Koreans often reference as the world’s most healthy food. The spicy fermented cabbage is low in calories and packed with nutrients like iron, folate, and vitamins B6 and K.
Nearly 50% of the people in the world get over 50% of their daily calories from rice. If eating brown rice featuring nutritious bran you’ll enjoy health benefits like cancer risk reduction and diabetes control.
Kimchi Pork Belly Recipe Cooking Tips
This yummy Kimchi Pork Stir Fry is quick and easy to make at home.
- We suggest preparing this Japanese stir fry recipe in a large nonstick skillet or wok.
- We’ve used light soy sauce but you can use a glug of dark soy sauce to add additional umami flavour.
- We’ve used traditional Japanese mirin in this recipe but you can substitute for dry sherry or a sweet marsala wine.
- Add a splash of Korean soju or sake to the stir fry, or vodka if you prefer.
- We’ve used oyster sauce in this recipe but you can substitute for hoisin sauce.
- You can use homemade kimchi or purchase kimchi at your local Asian supermarket.
- We suggest serving Buta Kimchi with steamed rice or noodles.
What To Serve with Buta Kimchi
We love serving this homemade Kimchi Pork recipe with steamed rice a fresh salad and soup.
If you’re hosting a large dinner party or Japanese-inspired potluck you might want to serve Buta Kimchi with:
- Japanese Sake Vodka Sushi Cocktail
- Okonomiyaki Japanese Pancakes
- Air Fryer Dumplings, Potstickers, Gyoza
- Japanese Miso Ground Pork Stir Fry
- Japanese Beef Yaki Udon Noodle Stir Fry
- Japanese Vegan Miso Soba Noodles
- Japanese Ponzu Chicken Stir Fry
You May Also Enjoy These Pork Recipes…
- Creamy Red Thai Pork Curry Recipe
- Singapore Chow Mei Fun Noodles
- Southern Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon
- Fresh Fig Prosciutto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Cheesy Bacon Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Köttbullar med Gräddsås Swedish Meatballs
- Smokey BBQ Bone In Air Fryer Pork Ribs
- Cilantro Ginger Lime Cajun Shrimp Salad
- Easy Seasoned Air Fryer Bone In Pork Chops
- Peynirli Pide Cheesy Chorizo Turkish Pizza
- Speckknödel German Bread Bacon Dumplings
- German Pork Rouladen with Bacon, Apple & Pickles
- Thai Pork Rib Soup with Vermicelli Noodles
- Egg Tofu Soup with Pork Meatballs
How To Make Traditional Buta Kimchi Japanese Pork Belly Stir Fry
Buta Kimchi Japanese Pork Belly Stir Fry
Equipment
- Skillet
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- French knife
- whisk
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 2 tbsp Soju or Sake
- 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp White Sugar
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 12 oz Pork Belly thinly sliced
- 50 g Scallions sliced
- 200 g Kimchi chopped
- 2 cups Bean Sprouts
Instructions
- Whisk together soy sauce, mirin, soju/sake, oyster sauce, and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat, then coat with the sesame oil. Add the pork belly and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly, until most of the fat has rendered and the meat is cooked through.
- Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Stir in the kimchi and sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Fold in the bean sprouts and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the sprouts are wilted but still crunchy.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
Save this story to Pinterest!
