Buta Kimchi — Japanese Pork and Kimchi Stir-Fry (10 Minutes)
Buta kimchi (豚キムチ) is pork and kimchi stir-fried together in one pan, and it is the dish I make when it’s late, I’m hungry, and I want something on the table in ten minutes. It’s not a fancy dish. It’s a weeknight dish — the kind of thing that gets made in Japanese homes constantly, usually with a tub of supermarket kimchi that’s been sitting in the fridge getting a little more sour every day.
What makes the Japanese version different from a Korean stir-fry is the seasoning: there’s almost none. No gochujang, no garlic paste, no sugar. The kimchi brings all the heat and salt it needs, and the only thing added is a small splash of mentsuyu — the bottled noodle-soup base that lives in every Japanese fridge door. It sounds like cheating. It is cheating. It also makes the whole pan taste rounder and more savory than kimchi alone, and it’s how this dish actually gets cooked here.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ten minutes, one pan. Cut a few things, fry them in order, serve. There is no sauce to mix and nothing to marinate.
- One seasoning. Half a tablespoon of mentsuyu. The kimchi does the rest of the work.
- It uses up tired kimchi. Kimchi that’s gone too sour to eat straight is better here — the sourness cooks off into depth.
- It goes with rice and beer. That’s the whole point of it in Japan.
What is Buta Kimchi?
Buta (豚) means pork, so buta kimchi is literally “pork kimchi.” It’s a Japanese home-cooking staple that came out of Japan’s long familiarity with Korean food, and you’ll find it on izakaya menus, in convenience-store bento, and in home kitchens on nights when nobody wants to think about dinner. It sits in the same everyday category as ginger pork — thin pork, one pan, done fast.
Compared to Korean stir-fried pork, the Japanese version is deliberately plainer. It leans on the kimchi rather than building a sauce around it, and it almost always includes onion and nira (garlic chives) for sweetness and aroma. If you like this style of cooking, the same instincts show up in namul and bibimbap, both of which are Korean dishes that Japanese households have quietly made their own.
About the Kimchi
I use whatever napa cabbage kimchi is in the fridge — in this case a plastic deli tub from the supermarket, nothing special. That’s genuinely what most people here use. The one thing that matters is that you add the liquid in the tub along with the kimchi, because that red brine is most of the seasoning. Don’t drain it.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thin-sliced pork belly | 200 g / about 7 oz | Cut into bite-size pieces |
| Napa cabbage kimchi | 100 g / about 3.5 oz | Cut into bite-size pieces, brine included |
| Onion | 1/2 | Sliced thin |
| Nira (garlic chives) | 1/3 bunch | Cut into 3 cm / 1 in lengths |
| Sesame oil | 1/2 tbsp | |
| Mentsuyu | 2 tsp (2x concentrate) | Use 1/2 tbsp if yours is 3x — see note below |
| Salt and pepper | A pinch | For the pork |
The one bottle worth buying for this is Japanese mentsuyu on Amazon — it’s the shortcut that makes the pan taste seasoned rather than just spicy, and it will get used constantly for noodles, donburi, and simmered vegetables afterward. You also want a real toasted Japanese sesame oil on Amazon rather than a neutral oil, because the aroma is half the dish. Both are also on my list of Japanese pantry essentials.
A Note on Mentsuyu Concentration
Mentsuyu is sold at different strengths and the bottle will say which, so check yours before measuring. The bottle we keep in the fridge is Yamaki 2x concentrate (2倍濃縮), and that is what the amount above is for. Most recipes you find online assume 3x concentrate (3倍濃縮) — if that is what you have, use 1/2 tablespoon instead. If yours is undiluted straight mentsuyu (ストレート), it would take about 4 teaspoons, which adds more liquid than this pan wants; use 1 teaspoon of soy sauce with a pinch of sugar instead.
How to Make Buta Kimchi
Step 1: Cut the Vegetables
Slice the onion thin so it softens quickly, and cut the nira into pieces about 3 cm (1 inch) long. Nira cooks in seconds, so it goes in at the very end — having it cut and waiting is the whole reason this dish stays a ten-minute dish. Cut the kimchi into bite-size pieces too; long strips of cabbage are awkward to eat with rice.
Step 2: Season the Pork
Cut the pork belly into bite-size pieces and season it lightly with salt and pepper. I use a shaker of aji-shio-koshou — the pre-mixed seasoned salt and pepper that sits next to the stove in most Japanese kitchens. Plain salt and black pepper are exactly as good. Keep it light: the kimchi is already salty.
Step 3: Heat the Sesame Oil
Put the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat and let it warm through before anything goes in. Sesame oil burns faster than neutral oil, so medium is right — you want it fragrant, not smoking.
Step 4: Stir-Fry the Pork and Onion
Add the pork and the onion together and stir-fry over medium heat until the pork has changed color all the way through. The onion goes in at the same time on purpose — it releases water that keeps the pork from catching, and by the time the meat is done the onion is soft and translucent with a little browning at the edges.
Step 5: Add the Kimchi
Add the kimchi along with its brine and stir it through. Give it a minute or so — you want the raw edge of the kimchi to cook off and its liquid to reduce slightly so it coats the pork instead of pooling. The pan will smell sharp and sour for a moment and then settle down.
Step 6: Add the Nira and Mentsuyu
Add the nira and the mentsuyu and toss everything quickly over the heat — thirty seconds to a minute, no more. The nira should stay bright green with a bit of bite. This is the step where it’s easy to go too far: keep the pan moving and take it off while the chives still look fresh.
Tips and Variations
- Older kimchi is better kimchi. Kimchi that has gone sour in the fridge is the ideal candidate. Fresh, barely fermented kimchi tastes thin after cooking.
- Don’t drain the brine. That red liquid is the seasoning. Tip the whole lot in.
- Keep the heat up and the pan uncrowded. If everything pools and steams, the dish turns watery. Two servings in a normal frying pan is about the limit.
- No nira? Green onion works, cut into similar lengths. It’s not the same aroma but it’s the same job.
- Add an egg. A soft fried egg on top, yolk broken over the rice, turns this into a full dinner on its own.
- Bean sprouts stretch it. A handful added with the kimchi bulks the pan out cheaply — add them late so they keep their crunch.
What to Serve It With
Buta kimchi is a main dish and it wants plain white rice next to it — nothing seasoned, because the pan is already doing that. On the night in the photo we had it with rice and a simple lettuce and tomato salad, which is about as elaborate as a Tuesday gets here.
- A bowl of miso soup — the plainness is a relief against all that chili.
- Namul, if you want a cool sesame-dressed vegetable to balance the heat.
- Cold beer. This is not a serving suggestion so much as a fact about how the dish is eaten in Japan.
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for two or three days. Reheat in a frying pan rather than the microwave if you can — the microwave makes the pork rubbery and the kimchi watery, while a minute in a hot pan brings back the edges. The nira will lose its color overnight; that’s unavoidable and doesn’t affect the taste. Leftover buta kimchi is also very good stirred through rice the next day, which is essentially kimchi fried rice with the hard part already done.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cut of pork for buta kimchi?
Thin-sliced pork belly (buta bara) is the standard choice and what I use. Its fat renders into the kimchi and carries the flavor. Thin-sliced pork shoulder or loin also work and are leaner — if you use them, add a little extra sesame oil, since there’s less fat coming out of the meat. Look for pork sliced for shabu-shabu or hot pot at an Asian grocery; it’s already the right thickness.
How do I stop pork kimchi from getting watery?
Three things: keep the heat at medium or a little above, don’t crowd the pan, and add the nira at the very end. Most watery buta kimchi comes from cooking too gently, so the liquid never reduces. If it does get soupy, just keep it on the heat another minute with the pan uncovered and it will tighten up.
Can I use ground pork instead?
You can, and it makes a good rice topping, but it becomes a different dish — the sliced pork is what gives buta kimchi its texture. If you use ground pork, brown it first and drain off some of the fat before the kimchi goes in, or the pan gets greasy.
Is buta kimchi very spicy?
It’s as spicy as your kimchi and no spicier, since nothing else hot is added. Cooking actually softens the heat, and the onion adds sweetness that takes the edge off further. If you’re worried, use a milder kimchi or drop the amount to 70 g.
Does cooking kimchi destroy the probiotics?
Yes — the live cultures in kimchi don’t survive being fried, so cooked kimchi loses that particular benefit. It keeps its fiber, vitamins, and flavor. If probiotics are why you eat kimchi, eat some raw alongside the meal and cook with the older jar.
What can I use instead of mentsuyu?
Mix 1 teaspoon soy sauce with a pinch of sugar and, if you have it, a few drops of mirin. Mentsuyu is essentially dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar already combined, so you’re rebuilding it by hand. A pinch of dashi powder in the pan gets you closer still.
Buta Kimchi (Japanese Pork and Kimchi Stir-Fry)
Ingredients
Method
- Slice the onion thin, cut the nira into 3 cm (1 in) lengths, and cut the kimchi into bite-size pieces. Have everything ready before you start cooking.
- Cut the pork belly into bite-size pieces and season lightly with salt and pepper. Go light, because the kimchi is already salty.
- Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant but not smoking.
- Add the pork and onion together and stir-fry over medium heat until the pork has changed color all the way through and the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the kimchi with all of its brine and stir through for about a minute, until the liquid reduces slightly and coats the pork.
- Add the nira and the mentsuyu and toss quickly for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until the chives turn bright green. Serve immediately with hot white rice.
