Bulgogi

Often called Korean Barbecue but the marinade is quite different than what westerners think of as BBQ. I think the basic recipie involves scallions, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, honey, massive quantities of garlic, peppercorns and sometimes bell pepper and I think a sirloin cut of beef.

It's cooked at the table with rice and side dishes called banchan. Best known banchan is Kimchee but there must be hundreds of kinds of banchan.

Korean food in general is wonderful (IMHO). I love the communal aspect with all the shared dishes, the low close table. From growing up eating what I would characterize as Irish-American cuisine (well-cooked meats, even more well-cooked vegetables, starch) the bubbling, fiery and multiple dishes on the Korean table was an education

I have to add that AFAIK, the B in bulgogi is pronounced as a "P", as it is in Baduk (pronounced "Paduk"). The correct pronunciation of bulgogi would sound like "Prewgogki" to an English speaker. Also, My favorite ingredient was left out above, SUGAR, which makes all Korean meats like bulgogi and gal-bie taste so yummy. I know, I know, many traditional recipes do not use sugar, but that is why it always tastes better at a restaurant! For completeness, I include below a recipe given to me that I have modified slightly.

Bulgogi marinade Recipe:

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger root, minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (pref. toasted)
• N dashes black pepper
• N dashes garlic

Combine the above ingredients, increasing/decreasing any of them to taste. Some people add a kiwi and may add a diced white onion. I never bother to toast the sesame seeds, and I’m not complaining. Soak the meat in this marinade in a covered dish for a few hours, or overnight in the fridge. Oh, I forgot to describe the meat. 2 pounds of very thinly sliced beef would be ideal, but any meat will do. I usually just go to the Korean grocery store and ask for bulgogi meat. This package comes thinly sliced, but if you are using some other piece of meat, slice it into thin strips that are easily ingestible a few at a time. Now, they say a coal or gas fire is necessary for barbeque cooking, but I find a frying pan works fine. Fry it up until disease is no longer a threat, and combine with some sticky rice from your rice cooker and enjoy as described below.

Notes on the proper way to eat Bulgogi:

Of course, you can enjoy it any way you please, but the normal way of consuming it is as follows. Take a leaf of the green lettuce that should come to the table in a basket, and place a spoonful of rice in the center. Then, add a few pieces of meat. Now, spread some of the thick, orange-red sauce that should be in a small, shallow bowl reminiscent of a wasabi dish nearby. If the orange red sauce is too candy-ass for you (it will be), you can ask for a “mepke”(hot) red pepper sauce, which will be thinner and redder in color. Now, roll up the whole #! and enjoy! Best enjoyed with kimchi and various other little bowls of gross stuff.