Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice: A Flavorful and Special Meal
Pyeonstorang Lee Chan-won’s Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice, Garlic Butter Fried Rice, Garlic Jjajang Recipe
Enjoy a luxurious taste at home! Garlic, onions, and zucchini are all you need. We’ll complete a wonderfully savory, dry garlic jjajang using a golden ratio of 9:1 black bean paste and fermented soybean paste. Enhance its flavor further by pairing it with fragrant garlic butter fried rice, a soft fried egg, crispy garlic flakes, and fresh chives for this Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice. It promises to be a delightful meal that will captivate your taste buds.
Garlic Jjajang Ingredients (Serves 2)- 100g Pork Loin
- 2/3 Onion
- 1/4 Zucchini
- 15 whole cloves Garlic
- 3 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 0.5 Tbsp Sugar
- 1.5 Tbsp Black Bean Paste (Chunjang)
- 0.5 tsp Fermented Soybean Paste (Hwangdujang)
- 50ml Water
- 0.5 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 0.5 Tbsp Water (for cornstarch slurry)
Garlic Butter Fried Rice Ingredients- 1 bowl Rice
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 3 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 0.5 Tbsp Butter
Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice Toppings- 1 Egg
- 1/2 handful Garlic Flakes
- Chives (a little)
- 1 bowl Rice
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 3 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 0.5 Tbsp Butter
Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice Toppings- 1 Egg
- 1/2 handful Garlic Flakes
- Chives (a little)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
[Making Garlic Butter Fried Rice] 1. Thinly slice 10 cloves of peeled garlic. 
Step 2
2. Heat 3 Tbsp of cooking oil in a pan. Add the sliced garlic and sauté over medium-low heat. The key is to cook the garlic slowly until it turns a nice golden brown without burning.
Step 3
3. Once the garlic is golden brown, add 1 Tbsp of soy sauce and 0.5 tsp of salt. Stir quickly, and turn off the heat just before the garlic starts to burn. This infuses the oil with the garlic’s savory flavor.
Step 4
4. Using the same pan with the garlic-infused oil, spread 1 bowl of rice evenly. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of oyster sauce over the rice and mix well. This will coat every grain of rice with savory flavor.
Step 5
5. Once the rice and oyster sauce are well combined, turn the heat back on. Add 0.5 Tbsp of butter and stir until it melts into the rice, adding a rich, creamy flavor. Turn off the heat immediately after the butter melts.
Step 6
[Making Garlic Jjajang] 6. Cut 100g of pork loin, 2/3 onion, and 1/4 zucchini into large, bite-sized pieces. 
Step 7
7. Thinly slice 15 whole cloves of garlic. This will give your jjajang a rich garlic aroma.
Step 8
8. Heat 3 Tbsp of cooking oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add about 10 of the sliced garlic cloves and sauté. Then, add 1 tsp of minced ginger (optional), the large-cut onion, and the pork loin. Stir-fry until the pork is nicely browned on the outside.
Step 9
9. Once the pork and onion are partially cooked, pour 1 Tbsp of soy sauce around the edge of the pan to deglaze and cook for another 30 seconds. This caramelizes the soy sauce slightly, adding depth of flavor.
Step 10
10. Add the remaining large-cut onion and zucchini. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
Step 11
11. Add 1 Tbsp of oyster sauce, 0.5 Tbsp of sugar, 1.5 Tbsp of black bean paste, and 0.5 tsp of fermented soybean paste. Stir-fry to combine all ingredients. (Feel free to adjust the amount of black bean paste to your preference! You can add more if you like a richer jjajang.) Pour in 50ml of water and simmer until all ingredients are well blended.
Step 12
12. As the jjajang sauce comes to a simmer, gradually add the cornstarch slurry (0.5 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 0.5 Tbsp water) while stirring, until it reaches your desired thick consistency. Be careful not to add all the slurry at once to avoid clumps. Your delicious garlic jjajang is now complete.
Step 13
[Assembling Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice] 13. Wash and finely chop the chives. Their fresh aroma will cut through the richness. 
Step 14
14. Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan and fry an egg. A sunny-side-up egg with a runny yolk is perfect for mixing into the jjajang.
Step 15
15. Plate the garlic butter fried rice nicely in a bowl. Top it generously with the warm garlic jjajang you just made.
Step 16
16. Finally, place the fried egg, crispy garlic flakes, and fresh chives on top of the jjajang. Your impressive Garlic Butter Jjajang Rice is ready! Enjoy your meal!
