Pork Tteokbokki

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Snap off and discard the tough, woody ends of the asparagus; cut the asparagus into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Peel and mince the ginger. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice the white bottoms on an angle and cut the green tops into ½-inch pieces.

Add the asparagus to the pot of boiling water and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until bright green and slightly softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked asparagus to a strainer, leaving the pot of water boiling. Rinse the asparagus under cold water for 30 seconds to 1 minute to stop the cooking process; drain thoroughly.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ginger and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Add the ground pork to the pan of aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 4 to 6 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

While the pork cooks, add the rice cakes to the pot of boiling water used to cook the asparagus; cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Reserving ¼ cup of the rice cake cooking water, drain thoroughly.

To the pan of pork, add the blanched asparagus, cooked rice cakes, black bean sauce, soy glaze, half the reserved rice cake cooking water and as much of the gochujang as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and heated through. (If the sauce seems dry, gradually add the remaining rice cake cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between 2 dishes. Garnish with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!