Bulgogi is a popular Korean meat dish served often for Korean BBQ. It’s thinly sliced beef that is marinated in a sweet and tangy marinade of traditional Korean flavors. My mom used to make Bulgogi only on special occasions, leading me to think it was a time-consuming recipe, but on the contrary it’s actually one of the easiest Korean recipes ever. To make things even simpler you can ask your local butcher to slice the beef thinly for you and you can use a blender to make your marinade. 1 hour marinate time is sufficient since the meat is so thin but you can let it marinate overnight too.
Try Bulgogi and make any day feel like a special occasion. Recipe inspired from Korean Bapsang.
Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef) 불고기
Thinly sliced beef marinated in traditional Korean flavors. A popular dish served often for Korean BBQ.
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS:
- 1 kg rib-eye, thinly sliced
- 2 white onions, thinly sliced
- cooking oil to cook the meat
- MARINADE:
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or mirin)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1/2 small asian pear (or fuji apple or kiwi), pureed
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- GARNISH:
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 scallions, chopped
Directions
- Step 1 PREP THE MEAT: Ask your local butcher to thinly slice the beef for you. You can also just freeze your beef for about 30 minutes so that it freezes slightly. Then take it out of the freezer and slice it thinly yourself. Set aside.
- Step 2 MAKE THE MARINADE: Add all 9 ingredients to a bowl and mix until well combined. Be sure your garlic and ginger are finely grated and the fruit you use is finely pureed.
- Step 3 MARINATE THE MEAT: Add the marinade to the meat until everything is covered. I usually do this by laying a single layer of meat on a tray/baking dish, cover with a spoonful or 2 with marinade, then add to that another single layer of meat, cover with marinade, and continue until all meat is covered with marinade. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. You can also marinate overnight but if you plan to marinate overnight it is best not to add fruit to your marinade because the fruit will tenderise the meat too much, especially with thinly sliced meat.
- Step 4 COOK THE BULGOGI: Heat a pan or preferably a cast iron pan on high. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. When pan is VERY HOT add a single layer of marinated meat. Add a handful of sliced onions. Cook and stir occasionally until meat is a bit caramelized and cooked through. You will need to cook the marinated meat in batches. Do not cook all at one time. If you overcrowd the pan the meat will steam instead of sear.
- Step 5 Serve over white rice with a garnish of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.