Usually on a Sunday I love a roast. Last night, however, I really craved something hearty minus the fuss. Something that can cook in the background as I get on with other things. I stumbled upon this recipe by Su Scott in the January 2021 issue of Waitrose & Partners magazine and it hit the spot.

I’ve observed several recipes calling for Kimchi paste recently but in the nature of being less wasteful I’ve opted for using other pastes and ingredients I already have. I often substitute it for Gochujang paste, so if you already have this handy feel free to swap the kimchi paste for gochujang paste. They are similar in flavour, though I find that kimchi paste has more kick to it. I also used Pak Choi instead of Chinese leaf cabbage and it worked really well. Finally, once again trying to use up some of my fridge ingredients (or being a little lazy), I used ginger paste I had handy rather than fresh ginger for the pork marinade.

The result was a flavoursome, spicy and slightly sticky pork stew, served with some white rice on the side. Perfect for a chilly evening in!

More with pork: Sticky Pork Bibimbap | Summer Pork, Fennel and Beans

Braised kimchi pak choi & pork

Serves 3-4 | Prep 20 mins | Cook 45 mins
Easy | Dairy-free

You’ll need:

  • 600g pork shoulder, cut into bite-size chunks;
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil;
  • 1 onion, sliced;
  • 2 Pak Choi, quartered;
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar;
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped;
  • 2 salad onions, thinly sliced;
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

    MARINADE
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste or 20g fresh root ginger, grated;
  • 2 tsp sugar;
  • 1 tbsp mirin;
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce;
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

    SAUCE
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed;
  • 3 tbsp Kimchi paste (or Gochujang paste if preferred);
  • 2 tbsp brown rice miso paste;
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce.

First, marinade the pork and make the sauce. In a large bowl, mix the pork should with all the mariade ingredients, and set aside (can be done a few hours in advance). In a separate bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients with 50ml water and set aside until needed.

Heat the oil in a a large, lidded, flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 3 minutes, until softened slightly. Add the marinated meat. Stir briefly, then lower the heat. Pour over the sauce, the arrange the pak choi quarters over the meat, cut side down (in a single layer if possible). Cover with a lid and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Once ready, stir through the cider vinegar and chopped chilli. Scatter over the salad onions and sesame seeds to serve. Serve with some white rice on the side, if liked.

Adapted from a recipe by Su Scott in Waitrose & Partners magazine, issue January 2021 – not currently available online.