Making sweet and salty Korean beef bulgogi

What kind of food is bulgogi?

Bulgogi is a representative Korean meat dish that consists of thinly sliced ​​meat marinated in soy sauce and then stir-fried or grilled with vegetables. In particular, beef bulgogi is one of the Korean foods that is familiar to foreigners as the sweet and salty seasoning and soft meat texture go well together. If you make it in a moist style with a little bit of soup remaining, it's good as a side dish for rice, and if you fry it over high heat, it goes well as a wrap or rice bowl.

If you search for bulgogi in 10,000 Recipes, you will see a variety of recipes such as beef bulgogi, ttukbaegi bulgogi, crispy bulgogi, and bulgogi rice bowl. Today, we have summarized the basic beef bulgogi method that is easiest to use at home, marinating it in seasoning containing soy sauce and pear and completing it in one pan.

Ingredients Preparation

For 2-3 servings, prepare 500g of beef for bulgogi, 1/2 onion, 1 green onion, a few carrots, and a handful of shiitake or oyster mushrooms. If the meat is too thick, it can become tough, so it is recommended to use thinly sliced ​​bulgogi cuts. After completely defrosting frozen meat, gently press out the blood with a paper towel.

For the seasoning, mix 4 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of pear juice or grated pear, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and a little pepper powder. If you don't have pears, you can grate onion or add a little oligosaccharide. Sprinkling sesame seeds at the end brings out the nutty flavor.

marinating meat

Unwrap the beef one by one and prepare so that the seasoning does not clump together. Put the meat and seasoning in a bowl, mix lightly with your hands, then add the onions and mushrooms. If you knead too hard, the meat may break, so it is best to mix just enough to evenly coat the seasoning.

Marinating time is at least 20 minutes, or about 1 hour in the refrigerator if you have time. If you marinate it for a long time, the seasoning will absorb well, but a lot of water may come out of the vegetables, so it is better to avoid leaving it for more than a day.

How to stir-fry deliciously in a pan

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and spread the seasoned meat on top. If you toss too much from the beginning, the moisture may come out of the meat and the soup may become thick, so wait a while until one side is cooked. When the color of the meat begins to change, stir-fry it by loosening it with chopsticks or a spatula.

When the onions and mushrooms are soft and the meat is almost cooked, add the green onions and carrots. If you want moist bulgogi, fry it over medium heat until a little of the seasoning remains. If you want crispy bulgogi, turn it up to high heat only for the last 1-2 minutes to remove the moisture. However, it is recommended to keep checking the bottom of the pan as the seasoning contains sugar and can burn easily.

Tips for enjoying delicious food

Beef bulgogi can be eaten on top of warm rice as a bulgogi rice bowl, or wrapped in lettuce and perilla leaves and eaten as a wrap. The remaining bulgogi is practical because it can be chopped into small pieces and used as a filling for kimbap or fried rice.

If you feel the seasoning is weak, it is cleaner to add the seasoning sauce separately at the end rather than adding a little more soy sauce in the middle of frying. Conversely, if it feels salty, add onions or mushrooms and stir-fry to soften the taste. After putting it on a plate, top it with sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions to enhance the color and flavor.

When storing, let it cool completely and refrigerate it in an airtight container. When reheating, add one or two spoons of water or broth and stir-fry over medium heat to restore moisture. When using it as a side dish in a lunch box, adding a little bit of the soup makes it easier to eat because the rice does not get soggy.