North Korean dish, Bulgogi (bul go' gi) is literally "fire meat," but refers to the beef being originally cooked over a charcoal fire. Before cooking, the meat is marinated. There is no doubt, but what this is one of the tastiest dishes from Korea and Koreans think so as well.
This dish is much easier to prepare than it looks. It's also excellent the very next day.
Ingredients
| 2 lbs | well marbled steak (flank, skirt, etc.) |
| — ¼ tsp | baking soda (for browning) |
| Marinade | |
| ¼ cup | soy sauce |
| 2½ tbsp | oyster sauce |
| 3 tbsp | brown sugar |
| 1 tbsp | mirin or rice vinegar |
| 2 tbsp | sesame oil |
| 1 tbsp | garlic, minced or powdered |
| 1 tbsp | ginger, freshly grated |
| — | Asian pear, grated (substitute Pink Lady or Fuji apple |
| — | black pepper, fresh-ground |
| — | red pepper flakes, as desired for heat |
| Cooked garnish | |
| — | carrots, julienned |
| — | scallions, chopped on the bias |
| — | onion, thin-sliced |
| — | red bell pepper, cut into strips |
| Serving | |
| — | red-lettuce leaves (or) |
| — | sticky rice in individual bowls |
Preparations
1. Chill meat in freezer to make easy cutting of very thin pieces from it (no more than ¼" thick. Cut across the grain for maximum tenderness.
Marinade
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the "marinade" ingredients. Add them to a gallon size Ziploc™ bag, and add the steak slices. Marinate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
Cooking
3. Place a large cast-iron pan or wok over medium-high heat and, once heated through, add cooking oil.
4. Working in batches, add the steak slices to the pan in a single layer and cook until just beginning to char, flipping once, about 2-3 minutes per side to cook.
5. Lightly cook the garnish ingredients in order of difficulty (carrots and onions first, scallions, then bell pepper strips. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serving
6. Serve over lettuce wraps (ssambap, 쌈밥) or over sticky rice.