Bulgogi

Bulgogi... "what's that"... a funny little word that refers to the method the meat is cooked in Korean cooking... I have done it using beef and chicken alike... a really flavorful marinade... and the quick cooking of the very thinly sliced meat makes for a really good dish... in our house it's extremely kid friendly... as I keep the heat out and add it in later in the form of the wonderful Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce...

Cook on a hot grill,  a table top grill and stove top plates... worth the time and effort and a great meal for sharing...

One thing I did learn along the way in my experimenting... is that raw pineapple if used in lieu of the kiwi can only be on the meat for about 30 minutes or else the meat just falls apart (literally)... there are enzymes present in raw fruit that do not present the same problem in canned pineapple.... not to mention that it looks very unappetizing once cooked...

I have a great Asian market close by... I can find anything I could possibly need to create a Chinese, Japanese or Korean meal... it's fun to just walk through and look everything... I buy my garlic, rices, soys, seaweed wrapper, miso there (among other things)... fun, fun! The ginger was so fresh today that the skin was almost translucent and the new rhisomes were sprouting out...

Ingredients:

1 pound thinly sliced steak beef or skinless chicken breast
1 bunch green onions cut into 2-3 inch pieces

Marinade:

2 tbs soy
1 tbs dark soy
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs rice wine or Korean white vinegar
4 tbs brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic
2 inches of ginger
2 tbs toasted sesame oil
1 peeled kiwi (tenderizes) or Asian pear

vegetable oil for your grill of choice

Combine all of the marinade ingredient in a blender or food processor (I find the blender works best). Pour over the meat and green onions... allow to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours (longer for tougher cuts of beef).

If beef is not sliced, slice into thin, finger-length strips (if you freeze the beef for 20 minutes, it will be easier to slice).

If you can, ask the butcher at the meat counter to slice for you in very thin strips. Korean and/or Asian grocery stores will often have meat for Bulgogi pre-sliced for sale... which is where I typically find mine...

Grill along with the marinated green onion sections...

Serve with Boston lettuce (Iceberg too, if you like), cooked white or brown rice, Korean white vinegar, and Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce (addictive). I am working my children up to the addition of kimchee...

Other ways to serve the meat is in a noodle dish with lots of veggies... or as part of a bibimbap (the best part is the crispy rice at the bottom of the stone pot!).

* Not my own pictures of this yet... once I get a light box finished... the pictures will  follow...