Meat Jun

Hawaii-Style Meat Jun is a popular local dish with Korean origins. Thinly slice beef is marinated, then dipped in flour and egg, and pan-fried. Onolicious! There's also an optional dipping sauce. Eat with hot rice (bonus points for kimchi and mac salad on the side) ^_^

Oh man, meat jun! All Hawaii locals know and love this dish. Meat jun is a key part of Hawaii's Korean Plate Lunch.

It's a popular and beloved dish. You can even order giant trays of meat jun from local Korean restaurants for all your potluck party needs.

What's not to love? Thin slices of beef marinated in a savory-sweet sauce, lightly battered, and pan fried. Super onolicious with rice!

Note from a local: This style of meat jun is a Hawaii invention. There are Korean jun dishes (almost like little pancakes of vegetables/meats that are egg battered and pan fried), but this concept of a savory-sweet marinade and pan frying large pieces of meat is a *Hawaii thing.*

Why This Recipe Works

Meat jun is not hard to make. It doesn't take a long time. But it does have a few moving parts, so you want to be organized.

First marinate the meat (just an hour, or can even 30 minutes if you're in a rush). Then batter the meat (just flour and egg). Then pan-fry it until cooked through and the egg is a bit crisp and lightly browned.

Then you eat!

The contrast of juicy rib eye and the crisp bits of the eggy exterior...ahh super ono. Parts of the egg get really browned and golden, and other parts remain soft. So many things going on.

The batter keeps the meat real tender. And if you make the dipping sauce (optional), then woooow! Never ever forget to eat with rice.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this recipe. I split the ingredients into three sections (marinade, batter, and dipping sauce):

Marinade

• Ribeye, thinly sliced
• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Oil
• Sugar
• Garlic - Minced
• Green Onion - Chopped

Batter

• Flour
• Eggs

Dipping Sauce (optional)

• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Sesame Oil
• Korean chili pepper flakes - optional but delicious
• Garlic Cloves - Minced
• Green Onions - Chopped

Step by Step Directions

Marinate the meat.
Place the meat slices in a container. Mix together all the marinade ingredients and pour over the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Make the dipping sauce (optional).
Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili flakes, garlic, and green onions in a small bowl. Set aside.

Tip: Save this sauce and drizzle it over pan-fried tofu slices...onolicious!

Batter the meat.
Pour the flour onto a plate. Beat the eggs and place in a large bowl.

Working with one slice at a time, dip the meat slice into the flour first (shake off any excess flour). Then dip into the egg.

Tip: Heat the oil in the pan (next step) before you dip in the egg because you want to take the meat slice from the egg dip to the pan right away.

Cook the meat.
Make sure there's about ½-inch of oil in your pan. Over medium-high heat, fry each side for 1-2 minutes.

*You need ½-inch oil in the pan so that you can shallow fry it. This is more oil than regular pan frying but less oil than deep frying.

Once finished, remove to a plate lined with paper towels. The paper towels will help soak up excess oil.

Time to eat!
Serve the meat jun with hot rice and dipping sauce on the side.

Eat with fork and knife and slice each piece like a steak or...

Local Style! Use scissors to cut the meat jun into strips and then eat with chopsticks (this is how most places in Hawaii serve it).

FAQs and Tips

Meat Jun Recipe

See below and enjoy ^_^