Korean food is rapidly becoming one of America’s favorite ethnic cuisines and it is no surprise given its bold, spicy flavors. Korean barbecue beef known as bulgogi is a particular favorite. This bulgogi recipe is so good it will become habit-forming. Grilling the beef instead of pan-frying it gives it that bit of barbecue flavor along with lovely grill marks. My favorite way to serve bulgogi is with rice and a side of mac salad or green salad, kimchi and homemade takuan (plate lunch!) but it is equally delicious stuffed in a banh mi with a generous amount of do chua pickles. It’s just beautiful.
After a quick soak in this flavorful marinade you’ll have the best barbecued bulgogi. Melt in your mouth super thin slices of lean, tender beef thrown on the grill is ready in just a few minutes. The original recipes calls for flank steak but I much prefer to use the more tender filet mignon or top sirloin. Thanks to TNCouch for sharing the recipe via allrecipes.com.
Best Beef Bulgogi
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound filet mignon or top sirloin, slightly frozen for easier slicing, sliced very thin
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation
Thinly slice partially frozen beef and place in a shallow bowl. Combine soy sauce, sugar, green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Pour over beef. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once halfway through marinating time.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
Quickly grill beef on hot grill until slightly charred and cooked through, 1 – 2 minutes per side.
I can hardly wait to return to the Bay Area this summer. I get excited just thinking of all my favorite dishes at all my favorite restaurants such as Redd’s duck confit served on a bed of lentils with a poached egg or the best beef filet I’ve ever tasted at Alexander’s Steak House (where they give each table cotton candy on a stick after dinner). Speaking of my favorite vacation city, Corey Lee, owner of Benu restaurant in San Francisco was featured in the January issue of Food & Wine magazine. This particular issue contains a slew of recipes I want to try, however, it was Corey Lee’s Pork-Kimchi Dumpling Pancakes that really caught my eye.
These savory dumplings are very easy to put together once your mise en place is done.
A dollop of filling on the wonton wrapper, fold and press the edges together.
Ten dumplings are arranged around the edge of an 8″ skillet, overlapping slightly. After quickly frying the dumplings for 4 minutes, a slurry of cornstarch and water is added to the pan. This creates crispy, lacy, edges and adheres the 10 dumplings together making one impressive pancake that you invert on a platter and serve with dipping sauce.
Pork-Kimchi Dumpling Pancakes
Adapted from Corey Lee’s recipe ~ Food & Wine Magazine
6 – 8 servings
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Korean chili flakes or 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
Dumplings:
14 ounces ground pork
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped and drained kimchi
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup firm tofu, finely chopped
30 round wonton wrappers
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons canola oil
Preparation:
Mix all of the sauce ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix all of the dumpling ingredients except the wrappers, cornstarch and oil. Arrange 4 wrappers on a work surface (keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel). Brush the edges of the wrappers with water and drop 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centers of each wrapper. Fold over one side of the wrapper to form a half-moon, pressing the edges together. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; assemble the remaining dumplings.
In a bowl, stir the cornstarch with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in an 8-inch non-stick skillet over moderate heat. Arrange 10 dumplings around the edge of the skillet overlapping slightly (there should be almost no empty space). Cook over moderate heat until golden on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Drizzle one-third of the slurry over and around the dumplings, cover the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Uncover and cook until the dumplings are cooked through and the slurry forms a thin crust, about 4 minutes. Carefully invert the dumpling pancake onto a plate. Repeat to make 2 more pancakes. Serve with dipping sauce.
There’s not many combinations better than spicy, garlicky, kimchi and a bowl of steaming hot rice. When accompanied with either grilled chicken or tofu marinated in Granny’s Teriyaki sauce, or Korean Style Hamburger Patties, it’s a mouth-watering experience.
I do enjoy the more traditional Napa cabbage kimchi but there’s something special about crunchy cucumber kimchi. Whole Spice Korean chili flakes add a beautiful color and mild sweetness without too much heat to the kimchi.
Quick Cucumber Kimchi
Serves 2 as a side dish
Ingredients
1 pound Japanese cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/3 inch thick slices.
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup thinly sliced Maui or sweet onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
2 teaspoons sesame oil
dash of fish sauce (optional)
3 teaspoons Korean chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
Place sliced cucumbers in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Toss well. Let stand for 20 minutes then rinse and drain well. Rinse the bowl.
Place cucumbers back into the bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together and transfer to a smaller serving bowl. Refrigerate until chilled. Sprinkle additional green onions on the top before serving if desired. The kimchi is best eaten the same day. Any leftovers are a welcome addition to your bento lunch the following day.
Like so many others I am in love with Bibimbap. It really is the perfect meal. When heating a stone bowl directly on the stove top the rice on the bottom of the bowl gets crunchy and is utterly delectable. Along with the colorful vegetables layered over the rice and savory Korean style patties this is beautiful dish. And any meal with a fried egg is at the top of my list.
I had never eaten Bibimbap until a few months ago when I had lunch with a friend at a local restaurant here on Maui. We decided to share the Bibimbap and a lemon grass chicken sandwich. The sandwich was tasty, but the Bibimbap was a revelation! Once that stunning Bibimbap arrived at our table I think we both secretly wished we didn’t have to share it. I did not realize the rice on the bottom of the stone pot would be crispy. It really made the dish stand out. It was a real dilemma when we had to split the fried egg! We vowed that if we ever shared a serving of Bibimbap again, we would order it with two fried eggs. So as you can see above, I had to have my own Dolsot stone bowls so that I could make Bibimbap at home.
Colorful vegetables are quickly cooked and seasoned.
These marinated bean sprouts are delicious.
Heat your stone bowl on the stove top, add a bit of oil, swirl and add some rice. You’ll hear the rice sizzle as it hits the bowl. Pat the rice gently against the heated bowl. Let it go for a while then add more rice and your prepared vegetables and meat or tofu to warm up.
Lastly, fry an egg sunny side up and place on top of your heated Bibimbap. Serve with kimchi on the side. Most recipes call for gochuchang sauce but I love Sriracha so I used it instead.
In a medium saucepan (3 qt. works well) bring 6 – 7 cups of water to a boil. Add rinsed bean sprouts and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Place sprouts on paper towels or a kitchen towel and press out some of the water. In a medium bowl add bean sprouts, minced garlic, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, Korean chili flakes if using and roasted sesame seeds. Stir to combine. The sprouts can be made earlier in the day and stored in the refrigerator.
Remove the stems and wipe the mushrooms clean. Slice into thin strips and sauté in a bit of canola oil until the mushrooms become soft. Add the garlic, sauté for another minute and remove from the stove top. Stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds and season with salt.
Julienne the zucchini into long, thin strips using only the outer, colorful portion. Heat a bit of canola oil in a small skillet and cook for just a minute to slightly soften the strips. Stir in sesame seeds and season with salt.
In a small skillet blanch the spinach for 1 minute until wilted. Squeeze out the excess water and stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Julienne the carrot into long, thin strips. Briefly sauté with garlic and sesame oil. Season with salt.
The first time I used the bowl I soaked it in room temperature water for 5 minutes then placed it on the stove on medium heat to warm up. I slowly adjusted the heat higher (between medium and medium high) and once hot added about 1 teaspoon of canola oil and coated the bottom and lower sides of the bowl. (Please follow the heating instructions that come with your specific stone bowl).
Add enough rice to the heated bowl to cover the bottom of the bowl. Press gently with a spatula. You should hear the rice sizzle on the hot bowl. Cook the rice for about 5 minutes and check to see if the rice is crunchy by lifting up a portion with a spoon. The rice should have a light golden toasted color to it. Once this happens, add more rice and top with vegetables and Korean style patties if using. Placing the vegetables in alternating colors makes for a gorgeous rice dish.
Fry your egg sunny side up. Place on top of the heated Bibimbap and serve with kimchi and Sriracha.
***There are so many variations of this dish. You don’t need to stick with specific vegetables or meat and can easily adjust the recipe to your liking. Make it vegetarian by using tofu instead of meat.
I have mentioned before that I love tofu in many forms. Either frozen, defrosted, then baked with herbs or straight from the package with green onions, ginger and soy sauce. Or even cut into cubes, baked and tossed in nutritional yeast. Here’s another tofu recipe that’s quick and easy. A friend at work adores this sauce. He waits patiently for any leftovers I might have and drizzles it on his rice. It has the perfect balance of salty, garlicky, spicy kick to it.
Firm or extra firm tofu works well for fried tofu.
I discovered an ingenious tofu press on a food blog one day. This simple gadget works great. Put your block of tofu in the container, press the spring-loaded top on it, place in your refrigerator for a half hour or so, and in no time most of the water will have been pressed out. The days of wasting paper towels are over!
Slice tofu block into 8 pieces, about 1/4 inch thick.
Korean-Style Tofu Sauce
Korean-Style Fried Tofu with Green Onion Sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 block firm or extra firm tofu (12 oz.)
canola oil for frying
Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Korean chili powder flakes – optional (I bought Whole Spice Korean chili flakes in Napa Valley and it’s quite mild though it gives the sauce a splash of color).
1/3 teaspoon red chili flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you want the sauce to be).
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (or more if you prefer).
1 teaspoon ground sesame seeds (I use an electric Zojirushi sesame grinder though for a few dollars you can purchase an inexpensive hand grinder at most Asian markets).
Roasted sesame seeds for sprinkling on the fried tofu (optional).
Preparation
Combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, Korean chili flakes if using, red chili flakes, green onions and ground sesame seeds in a small bowl. Mix ingredients to combine well. Set aside.
Press tofu in Tofu Xpress for 1/2 – 1 hour in the refrigerator (alternately slice tofu and place between several layers of paper towels then put a cutting board on top and weight with a few cans or a large book on your counter for 15 – 30 minutes).
Remove tofu from Tofu Xpress and slice into 8 pieces (about 1/4 inch thick).
Place a skillet large enough to hold all of the tofu on medium heat with 2 – 3 teaspoons of canola oil.
Fry tofu for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Flip tofu over and brown the other side for about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and drizzle sauce over the tofu. Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds (optional).
I make this the night before and take it for lunch the following day. Gently reheat the tofu, drizzle with sauce and serve with rice.
My recipe card says “Korean Buns.” My mom used to make these for me and my friends when they would come over for a slumber party. The name of this dish derives from the “Korean” ingredients my mom added to the ground beef that she spread thinly on split hot dog buns. The buns would be placed on a baking sheet and set under the broiler for a few minutes until the meat was cooked through and nicely browned. These were the perfect slumber party snack. My variation is to make mini patties which can be eaten with rice and Japanese pickles. Leftover patties make a satisfying bento lunch.
These patties pair perfectly with white rice.
I include water chestnuts in the patties which adds a nice crunch. They remind me of jicama adding texture to the patties without affecting the flavor of the other ingredients.
Diced water chestnuts
Form the meat into small patties and either fry or if time permits heat up the barbecue grill.
Japanese pickles (radish and cucumbers).
On another occasion I added a few handfuls of chopped watercress to the patties. The watercress along with the water chestnuts add a pleasant crunch to these savory patties.
Korean Style Hamburger Patties
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (I use lean ground sirloin)
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1 whole egg
Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl add onion, green onion, garlic and water chestnuts to ground beef. Mix gently with a fork to combine ingredients. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and mix again. Add whole egg and mix until all ingredients are distributed well. Lightly form meat mixture into small patties (2 1/2 inch).
In a large non-stick fry pan heat 1 – 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add half of the patties. Fry for 3 minutes then flip patties over and fry for another 3 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through (cooking time will depend on the size of your patties). Repeat with the remaining patties.
They are especially delicious served with white or brown rice, Japanese pickles and Kabocha No Toroni (Kabocha squash simmered in rice wine and soy sauce).
***You may grill the patties however I prefer to pan-fry them which ensures they have a nice crust on them. And by all means, try the recipe the way my mom made it; spread meat mixture on split hot dog buns and finish under the broiler.
Korean food is rapidly becoming one of America’s favorite ethnic cuisines and it is no surprise given its bold, spicy flavors. Korean barbecue beef known as bulgogi is a particular favorite. This bulgogi recipe is so good it will become habit-forming. Grilling the beef instead of pan-frying it gives it that bit of barbecue flavor along with lovely grill marks. My favorite way to serve bulgogi is with rice and a side of mac salad or green salad, kimchi and homemade takuan (plate lunch!) but it is equally delicious stuffed in a banh mi with a generous amount of do chua pickles. It’s just beautiful.
After a quick soak in this flavorful marinade you’ll have the best barbecued bulgogi. Melt in your mouth super thin slices of lean, tender beef thrown on the grill is ready in just a few minutes. The original recipes calls for flank steak but I much prefer to use the more tender filet mignon or top sirloin. Thanks to TNCouch for sharing the recipe via allrecipes.com.
