Beef Bulgogi
Bulgogi — ‘fire meat’ — is one of Korea’s best-loved dishes. Thin slices of beef marinate in soy sauce with garlic, sesame oil and grated pear: the fruit adds sweetness and its enzymes make the meat especially tender. We sear it fast in a screaming-hot pan so the edges caramelise and the middle stays juicy.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h 10 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 400 kcal
Ingredients
For the marinade
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What to use instead
Use 1 tbsp dry white wine with 1 tsp sugar instead of mirin. Half a grated apple can replace the pear, though it tenderises less.
For cooking and serving
Makes: 4 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Firm up the beef
Put the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes — slightly firm meat is much easier to slice thinly.
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Step 2: Slice thinly
With a sharp knife, slice the beef across the grain into 2–3 mm slices. Halve any long pieces.
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Step 3: Make the marinade
Blitz the pear to a purée or finely grate it, juice and all. Mix with the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, garlic, sesame oil and pepper.
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Step 4: Marinate
Slice the onion into thin half-moons and the green onions into 4 cm lengths. Mix the beef with the marinade and onion and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Step 5: Heat the pan
Heat a cast-iron or heavy pan over high heat until it just smokes, then add the oil.
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Step 6: Sear in batches
Lay a third of the beef and onion in one layer, letting excess marinade drip off. Sear for 1 minute without moving, then 1–2 minutes more, turning, until the edges caramelise. Remove and repeat with the rest.
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Step 7: Serve
Toss the green onion into the last batch for 30 seconds. Pile all the beef onto a plate, sprinkle with sesame and serve with lettuce leaves for wrapping, and rice.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Don’t marinate with the pear for more than 12 hours: its enzymes keep working and the beef can turn mealy.
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Swap
Use 1 tbsp dry white wine with 1 tsp sugar instead of mirin. Half a grated apple can replace the pear, though it tenderises less.
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Variation
For a spicy version, add 1 tbsp gochujang to the marinade. Thinly sliced pork shoulder works the same way.
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Storage
Raw marinated beef freezes flat in a bag for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge. Cooked bulgogi keeps for 3 days.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 400 kcal | 1,600 kcal |
| Protein | 36 g | 144 g |
| Fat | 22 g | 88 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g | 56 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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