Stir-fries
Bulgogi (Marinated Beef)
Grated pear in the soy marinade makes the beef tender. Stir-fry the onion and carrot first, spread the beef in the pan to cook, then finish with mushrooms and Korean leek.
한국어로 보기 (Korean version)
Steps
- 1
Wrap the beef in paper towels and press firmly to blot off the blood, and cut any large pieces into bite-size pieces.
Blotting keeps the marinade from turning murky and reduces any gamey smell.
- 2
Mix the soy sauce, sugar, grated pear, minced garlic, mirim, sesame oil, and pepper, massage it evenly into the beef, and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes the marinade coats the outside; half a day to overnight in the fridge lets it sink in deeper. If you used a lot of pear, don't go past overnight, as the meat can turn mushy.
- 3
Slice the onion thinly, cut the carrot into thin slices, slice the shiitake thickly, and slice the leek on the diagonal.
Cut the carrot thin so it cooks at the same pace as the beef.
- 4
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and stir-fry the onion and carrot for 2 minutes, then spread the marinated beef in the pan and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
Piling the meat in all at once makes it release water, so spread it out.
- 5
Add the mushrooms and leek and stir-fry 2 minutes more, until the beef is cooked and a little sauce remains. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Substitutions
| Instead of | Use | How |
|---|---|---|
| grated pear | 3 Tbsp grated apple | Apple is less sweet and a little tart, so keep the sugar as written. |
| sugar | 1½ Tbsp oligosaccharide syrup | Syrup burns easily in the pan, so turn the heat down a little. |
| beef for bulgogi | 300 g pork shoulder | Stir-fry pork 2–3 minutes longer, until cooked all the way through with no pink inside. |
Storing leftovers
As cooked bulgogi cools, the sauce soaks into the meat and it gets saltier. Store airtight in the fridge and eat within 2 days; reheat in a pan with 1–2 Tbsp water over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Cook raw marinated beef within 1 day in the fridge; to keep it longer, freeze it in its marinade and use within 2 weeks.
Serve with
Rice, lettuce, and doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). Mixing rice into the leftover sauce is good too.
Making more or less
If you double it, stir-fry in two batches so the beef cooks evenly instead of stewing.
Before you cook
- Keep marinated meat in the fridge; don't leave it out at room temperature.
Questions
How long should I marinate bulgogi?
Thirty minutes in the fridge seasons the outside, and half a day to overnight lets it sink in deeper. Thin bulgogi beef can turn mushy if it sits too long in pear juice, so if you added extra pear, don't go past overnight. In a hurry, you can season the beef right before you cook it.
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