Bulgogi

 A Korean friend made this sweet, salty, savory and spicy dish for me once while I was watching her kids and I knew I needed to figure out how to make it myself. Now, if you are a Bulgogi purist, you will probably hate my recipe, I don't have a Korean grandmother to tap, I have probably committed some terrible sins with tradition, but...this is a basic Korean Bulgogi marinade recipe and I will share how I use it when I serve it to my family. 

Traditionally, Koreans use a very thinly shaved beef for Bulgogi. You can easily buy this in an Asian market, most butchers will do it for you, or you can cut it super thin yourself if you have a good knife. I have also used ground beef, which works simialrly to the thinly shaved beef because it provides lots of surface area for the marinade. Really, I feel like this recipe is designed to be everyday accessable, use what you've got.

Bulgogi is also served with lots of side veggies, and rice. You can either lay everything out and have folks build their own plate, or create rice bowls (which is my favorite). We pretty much use whatever is in season or available. It is a great way to use up the last of the farm share, or whatever comes from a walk through the garden. Our favorite Bulgogi bowl toppings are: pickled radishes, cucumbers, avocado, wilted greens, celantro, peppers, shredded carrot, sauted pak choi, and sesame seeds. It is ALWAYS a good idea to top it with a fried or poached egg, and a splash of hot sauce and sesame oil. Experiment, find what you like, and have fun.

Bulgogi:

2 lbs beef (sliced or ground)

Marinade Ingredients:

6 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp rice wine

1 red apple or Asian pear (grated)

1/2 onion (grated)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 bunch of scallions diced

Cooking Directions:

Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. I like to do this recipe in a ziploc bag. That way I can mix the marinade, massage the meat and let it rest while only dirtying a bag. You can also feel free to use a bowl...that's cool. 

Add your meat to the bag (or bowl), and massage the marinade into the meat to make sure that there is maximum surface area incorporation. Then let the meat sit in the marinade for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. 

When you are ready to cook the meat, heat a larg skillet or wok on medium heat, and cook with some cooking oil for about 5 minutes. Finish off with 1 tbsp of sesame oil and serve with desired veggies and rice. You can cook veggies with your meat like a stir fry if you want.