In Korean: 불고기
Serving: 2
Hello Everyone! Today, I made Bulgogi. This is one of the most popular beef dishes in South Korea (and in Korean restaurants worldwide). A little bit about Bulgogi. In Korean, the word bul means fire and gogi means meat. Many believe this dish originated during the Goguryeo time period around 37 BCE to 668 CE. Bulgogi had different variations in names such as Neobiani (Phonetically: Nuh-Bee-Ah-Nee) but the name Bulgogi is what stuck for all these years. Back then, this dish was typically eaten by the rich and wealthy because the cost of beef was so high.
Traditionally, Bulgogi is thinly sliced and some are either brothy or BBQ’ed but my version is thicker sliced and slightly saucy. I hope you’ll enjoy this version but feel free to modify it according to your preference! The flavor profile of this dish is savory, garlicky, and sweet. It’s typically and traditionally eaten with rice but it also goes well with just about any type of noodles. And if you want to be a bit more creative and even less traditional, you can also make burritos and cheese steak with it. Feel free to get creative and tap into your inner chef! 🙂
Korean Beef Bulgogi Recipe
Ingredients
1Ib beef (slice ~¼ inch thick; I used beef loin flap meat steak but other beef cuts such as boneless rib eye steak, beef tenderloin, and flank steak can be used.)
½ medium onion (sliced)
2 scallions (1 stalk cut into slices, 1 stalk cut into ~2.25 inches in length)
1 tsp minced ginger
4 minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 tbsp brown sugar (for sugar substitute, I used and recommend Swerve brown sugar)
1.5 Tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
~⅖ tsp Kosher salt (to taste)
~⅓ tsp black pepper (to taste)
2 tsp sesame oil (optional; traditionally added)
Directions
- Cut all of the aromatics (onions, garlic, ginger) and set it aside.
- To make the marinade, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper and Kosher salt to taste. Stir ingredients and then, melt the brown sugar and blend these ingredients together, either by microwave for about 15-30 seconds on medium or on the stove on medium heat for about 30-45 seconds. (This will allow the marinade to seep into the beef a bit quicker and reduce the marinade process which is typically done by letting it sit in the refrigerator for several minutes to a couple hours. Also, this way, you can cook it immediately instead of waiting.)
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together (sliced beef, onions, short cut scallions, ginger, garlic, and marinade) and mix the ingredients together well ensuring that the marinade is all over the hard ingredients.
- In a large shallow pan(I used 10x3), add 2.5 Tbsp of avocado oil and put the heat on high for about 30 seconds. Then, add ingredients and stir on high heat for 5 minutes making sure to cook all sides of the beef. After 5 minutes, add your long cut scallions and stir for another 1.5 minute.
Recipe Video
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @crabcakesandkimchi on Instagram and hashtag it #crabcakesandkimchi
