Recipe: Beef Bulgogi (Korean Grilled / Pan-Fried Marinated Beef)

We love having themed dinners at home, and this time, we're going Korean. We made two of our favorite Korean dishes, beef bulgogi and kimchi jjigae. I have made kimchi jjigae many times using this recipe and for the beef bulgogi, I am trying out a recipe which I got from a cookbook distributed by the Korean Tourism Organisation.

Our Korean dinner 

Beef bulgogi is marinated beef, and is traditionally grilled; nowadays it is also often stir fried in a pan. In 2011, it was listed at no.23 on the World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNNGo.

Bulgogi is made from thin slices of sirloin or other prime cuts of beef. The meat is then marinated for at least 30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper and pureed pear to enhance its flavour and tenderness. I also added in some sliced oyster mushrooms, onions and scallions.

Bulgogi literally means fire meat in Korean

Once cooked, this dish is served with a side of lettuce to wrap the meat in, along with a dab of ssamjang and eaten together. The beef was indeed tender and flavorful (both sweet and salty), we enjoyed this very much indeed.

If you love Korean food, then you should definitely try making this - it's so easy and delicious!

Beef Bulgogi (Korean Barbecue)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Korea Tourism Organisation "Korean Cuisine" book
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
Serves 3-4


Ingredients
300g beef (sirloin)
1 onion
1 spring onion, cut into 2 inch lengths
100g grey oyster mushroom, sliced
1/2 tsp cooking oil

For the marinade
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 tbsp crushed sesame seed
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
50g pureed pear

To serve
1 butterhead lettuce, leaves removed from stem and washed


1. Rinse the beef and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. It is recommended to place the beef into the freezer for about 30-45 minutes, as it will make it easier to cut into thin slices. Remove any excess fat.

2. Peel, wash and cut onion about 0.5cm thick.

3. Put all ingredients for marinade into a bowl and mix. Add marinade, onion, mushroom and spring onion to the beef and mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Marinade for at least 30 mins for flavours to infuse

4. You can either barbecue, grill or pan-fry the beef. I chose the latter - heat a frying pan over medium high heat with 1/2 tsp oil, then add the marinated ingredients (from Step 3). Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.

5. Serve with lettuce and ssamjang (optional).

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