Ready for some fire meat?

Another week, another delay. This time, it was because of a trip to Disneyland. I wish I had a great restaurant review or some other tasty news to share, but not this time. Back to the recipes.

I've been interested in Korean cuisine for a long time. A former colleague at the Times, who is Korean, piqued that interest. When I first moved to California, I had limited knowledge about a lot of foreign cuisines. He and I had many chats about good places to eat, and new dishes I should try. He was very encouraging of Korean, and it certainly interested me. But I didn't know of any Korean restaurants near where I lived, and I was a little scared going on my own. But I never forgot those chats.

About a year ago, I found a restaurant in Concord that served Korean fare. I convinced Aaron to try it, and we were hooked almost immediately. Korean Bulgogi House, located on Salvio Street near the Brenden Theaters, was fantastic. A colorful menu helped us in ordering. A small dish of edamame was a great starter. Then came the main dishes. We both were served huge plates: spicy meat, rice, a small salad with an addictive gingery dressing, some steamed potatoes in a sweet sauce, potstickers, tempura shrimp (Aaron ate mine) and some pickled daikon radish. Amazing!

We've gone back several times, and one of us always goes for the spicy bulgogi. To us, the sweet bulgogi, made with beef, just wasn't as good as the fiery versions made with pork or chicken.

Which brings me to my recipe. I had to have a recipe for bulgogi. I wanted to be able to make this dish in my own kitchen. And I found one that Aaron and I adored. It's relatively quick -- the longest part is the time it marinates in the fridge -- and it's incredibly easy. This recipe is certain to become part of our regular rotation.

This recipe is from the book "Eating Korean" by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee.

Spicy sliced pork (dwaeji bulgogi)

2 lb. sliced pork sirloin

3 tbsp. chili paste

3 tbsp. sugar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, minced

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

Black pepper

2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Combine the sliced pork with the chili paste, sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. Let marinate for about 30 minutes.

Stir-fry the meat until thoroughly cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add black pepper to taste. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Cook's notes: We used pork tenderloin, and we absolutely loved it! We stir-fried some other vegetables, including carrots and celery, and served it over steamed brown rice. We highly recommend it!