Why it works: Garlic and pork are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 7,155 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓
The recipe
8 servingsIngredients
Contains: soy (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
In a bowl, whisk the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, gochujang, minced garlic, minced ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper and white sugar until smooth.
Place the pork slices in a large bowl or sealable bag, pour over the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the pork in batches in a single layer, shaking off excess marinade. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until caramelized at the edges.
Cook until the thickest slices reach 145°F (63°C) inside, then transfer to a plate and rest for 3 minutes.
Add the onion rings and green onion pieces to the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes until just softened.
Return the pork to the pan, toss with the vegetables and cook 1 minute more to heat through, then serve hot.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Garlic + porktop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
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Gochujang + garlictop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together42 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Garlic + gingertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,402 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + gingertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together6,799 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + garlictop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,044 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the gochujang
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice wine, vinegar, sauce, pepper, garlic, ginger, sugar):
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Peppermintbetter flavor fit
- Cinnamonbetter flavor fit
- Gochujangthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice wine, vinegar, sauce, pepper, garlic, ginger, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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