Korean Bulgogi

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mraa

Senior Cook
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
332
Location
Austin
I grew up in a town next to a big military base, and lots of soldiers came back with Korean wives, and they brought their Korean families, so this is one of the big ethnicities to the melting pot that was the town. Anyway, this is one of the staple foods served in an oriental restaurant in town.

Bulgogi

2 lbs beef, any cut, sliced paper thin (can sub pork or chicken)
2 c sugar

Mix beef and sugar in sealable bag and let marinate in fridge for 2 hrs up to over night.

Then, slice thinly one small onion and one small bell pepper, season w/salt and pepper, and saute in oil (about 2 tbs). Once translucent, add in the meat, and cook till well done. Serve over steamed rice.

This is a great wok dish, but works well in large skillet, too.

Enjoy!:chef:
 
I LOVE bulgogi.. It is magnificent. but I think it MUST have a boatload of garlic. And a bit of soy.
I haven't thought about it in some time, thanks for the reminder.
 
Bulgogi is quite possibly one of my favorite Korean meals. I worked as a Korean chef for 5 years or so and always enjoyed making Bulgogi. Our recipe is similiar except for adding Soy, Toasted Sesame Oil, and a little MSG. We then marinated it for several hours and then pan fried it. Once the meat was cooked, we then took it over the fire grill for some flame kissing goodness.

Honestly, this is hard to beat!

-Brad
 
candelbc said:
Bulgogi is quite possibly one of my favorite Korean meals. I worked as a Korean chef for 5 years or so and always enjoyed making Bulgogi. Our recipe is similiar except for adding Soy, Toasted Sesame Oil, and a little MSG. We then marinated it for several hours and then pan fried it. Once the meat was cooked, we then took it over the fire grill for some flame kissing goodness.

Honestly, this is hard to beat!

-Brad

And that much sugar too? How about the thickness of the meat slices?
 
I like to have my steak cut very thin.. Just a matter of preference I suppose..

You can buy Bulgogi "Sauce" or marinade at almost any Asian food store.. Otherwise, here's what I do..

3 Tblsp - Soy Sauce
1 Tblsp - Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
1 Clove of Garlic Minced
1 Tsp - White Sugar
1/2 Tsp - Salt
1/2 Tsp - Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp - Monosodium Glutimate (MSG) - Hold back your comments
1 pound of Top Sirloin Steak

Mix all of the ingredients together (I mix it all up in a large Zip-Loc bag) and marinade for an hour or two..

I pan fry the entire bag (Liquids and all) until the steak is all cooked. Once that is complete, I move the contents of the pan to my grill or grill pan. I personally like the flame kissed goodness, so I look for a little black or char.

I will sometimes add some chopped onion and/or julianned carrots to the pan that I had cooked the meat in to cook them to taste.

I love to serve this with fresh un-cooked Pineapple and rice..

Some authentic versions of the same dish will also include a Pear juice to sweeten it a little more. It's all a matter of taste..

-Brad
 
Oh, dear. Would someone bring me some bulgogi or better yet, kal bi? Oh, gee,how about a little chap chae? I miss Korean food terribly these days. If we need Korean, I have to make it, and it is never as good as it was in the old days.

One thing I learned the hard way is that the sugar can actually eat the meat (much like yogurt does in middle eastern cuisines).

I made chop chae last week, but it simply isn't as good when I do it, especially this time of year when grilling the meat isn't a practical option.

P.S., I do make a great kimchee!
 
But IMHO the dish must be served with a fried egg on top.

Served with kimchee, there is nothing better.
 
Hey, Claire, do you like Yaki Man Du(sp)? I like them better than eggrolls. And I haven't had any Chop Chae in a long while, but my mom has a friend (Korean) who makes it, and she doesn't share with me ... =(
 
Yes, I love it! Is there a Korean cook anywhere in my area? Nope. I have to do it myself if I want Korean food, and I'm not that good at it.
 
auntdot said:
But IMHO the dish must be served with a fried egg on top.

Served with kimchee, there is nothing better.


I've never seen bulgogi served with egg on top.

Are you thinking of Bibimbap with egg and kimchi?

We eat a lot of bibimbap at home ....:chef:
 
I never did learn to like Kim-chi..We ate in the village of Chinhae Korea once. I would have liked to go back up to Soul for a week end but just couldn't look forward to a 21/2 hour bus trip to Pusan to catch a coal burning train with all the windows open and ride for 12 hours to go 200 miles. Keep in mind this was in 1963-64.
And I never did see a green pepper while there. (2 years)
 
when you say to get 1 lb sirloin steak for bulgogi do you cut it up when you put it into a ziploc bag or put it in whole? then do you make it in the oven, grill or on a pan? will i beable to pan fry it?
 
oppose said:
when you say to get 1 lb sirloin steak for bulgogi do you cut it up when you put it into a ziploc bag or put it in whole? then do you make it in the oven, grill or on a pan? will i beable to pan fry it?

Bulgogi means "fire meat," so it's traditionally grilled. But you could sautee it too.
 
The first time I had Bulgogi it was cooked over open fire. It also tasted as if there was some rice wine or sherry. I also have had a version that was similar but stir fried in a wok but I was told it was a Korean beef barbeque.

My first experience with Kim Chi was at a Tae Kwon Do banquet. My wife earned her black belt and her Master was a coach for the U.S. Olympic team. The banquet was after a national championship to select the U.S. team.

I was invited to sit with my wife and the many Masters who were part of the tournament. This seat of honor came with a price as all the high ranking belts informed me to remain at their table I was required to eat Kim Chi. I knew it was supposed to be hot but I was told it was not by a bunch of guys with ambiguous grins.

Well, they must have imported a pot of Kim Chi that had been buried for centuries just waiting to put me out of action. I took a small taste. My throat felt like it was closing, I broke into a sweat and my eyes began to tear up. I scrambled for any and all the ice water that was at the place settings anywhere near me. Master Kim, my wife’s master, stopped laughing at me just long enough to tell me to eat some white rice to sooth the heat.

I have since eaten Kim Chi but none ever as disabling as my first lethal bite.
 
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LOL..
Ffunnyrock, I am Scotch and English. My husband was in the Navy at the time and was sent to Korea in 1963-65. This was his second time there. He was with the Marines as a Corpsman (medic) during the Korean war.
Dove
 
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