Beef bulgogi is a classic Korean dish that is perfect for the indoor fry pan or the outdoor grill.  This isn’t an inexpensive recipe as it requires either rib-eye or top sirloin as the cut of beef.  However, all the other ingredients are ones you probably have in the pantry or are relatively inexpensive.  Although this recipe only calls for beef you can also add sliced green pepper or cooking onion to add some vegetables or stretch a smaller amount of meat.  Serve it  on a bed of warm rice or as a filling for lettuce wraps.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

3 cloves garlic

2” pieces of ginger,

½ cooking onion

½ Asian pear (or apple)

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 lb top sirloin (or rib-eye), sliced very thin (if you plan to BBQ the meat, cut it thicker into 1/4-1/2″ slices)

1 tbsp canola oil

Garnishes

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 carrot julienned

½ cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

2 green onions, sliced thinly

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the garlic, ginger, onion and Asian pear into a food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture out into a bowl and mix in the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and vinegar.

2. Add the thinly sliced beef to the marinade. Cover and place in fridge for 30min.

3. Preheat a grill or heavy bottomed pan to medium-high and add canola oil.

4. Add some of the beef, being sure not to crowd the pan and cook  for 4-6min, stirring often until the beef begins to brown slightly. Continue this way until all the beef is cooked. If your pan starts to get too dark or to many burnt bits on the bottom, wipe it clean before adding the next batch of meat.

5. Serve over a bed of warm sticky rice (or Boston lettuce) garnished with sesame seeds, carrot, cucumber and green onions.

​For a printable version of this recipe click here.

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