Bulgogi
This is a delicious and delightful Korean dish. I was first introduced to it many years ago by a former boss. It’s a great combination of meat and vegetable and is really satisfying. I made this with tofu and that’s great too. Good for any time of the year.
Recipe and pictures are after the jump.There are three parts to this one: The marinade/protein preparation, the vegetable preparation, and the rice preparation. Ingredients
First, depending on the type of sticky rice you use, prepare it accordingly. I’m only putting this first because there are some brands of sticky rice that require overnight soaking. Also, I believe, to correctly cook the rice in the traditional way takes a lot more effort. Here’s on video from YouTube and there are plenty more to review. Do as you see fit.
Then we’re going to marinade some tofu and rib-eye. the rib-eye should be sliced as thin as you can have it sliced. It’s best to have a butcher do this. Cut the tofu into2/3 inch thickness strips. We’ll put the following ingredients in the marinade. The finished beef product is called Bulgogi when served alone.
Marinade:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 1 pear, grated with juices
- Garlic to taste
- 1/2 small white onion, grated or sliced
- Grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ground red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bottle 7-Up
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients into 2 large dishes (one for meat one for tofu). Add the thinly sliced beef and turn to coat. Repeat for tofu. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour – it is best if marinated overnight.
Heat grill to high. Remove beef and tofu from marinade and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to mix with other elements of the dish. Of course timing is everything and you can plan you grilling to coincide with the other preparations so it all will come out together.
Rice
- Cook sticky rice per instructions. When all is ready to serve, the rice can be added to a regular bowl or a Korean hot stone bowl (traditional way). If it’s in a hot stone bowl, the rice becomes crunchy because it’s still cooking.
Vegetable:
- 1 carrot, julienned
- Cooked bean sprouts, sauteed in a little sesame oil or peanut oil
- Cooked spinach, sauteed in a little sesame or peanut oil and seasoned with salt
- Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced and sauteed in peanut oil and seasoned with salt
- 1 egg, cooked over easy
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- Soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, to taste
Gochuchang Paste (seasoned red pepper paste):
- 4 tablespoons gochuchang (available at Korean grocers)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well.
Put cooked rice in large slightly shallow bowl. Place bulgogi (with juices from cooked meat or tofu) and veggies on top of rice but place separately so you can see each ingredient placed on rice. Put egg on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce or Braggs.
When ready to eat, mix all ingredients together with some gochuchang paste, to taste. The dish should be moist and not dry. Add more sesame oil and gochuchang paste, to taste.
