Beef Bulgogi with Korean Cucumber Salad
Thin-sliced beef in a sweet and savoury soy-garlic-sesame marinade, seared hot and served over rice with a crisp, tangy cucumber salad.
Nutrition · per serving
≈ estimated- Calories
- 859–883
- Protein
- 47.7–48.7g
- Carbs
- 69.4–74.8g
- Fat
- 42.2–42.5g
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb steak (ribeye, sirloin, or strip, sliced very thin against the grain)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (or honey)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (toasted)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 1/2 onion (grated or pureed)
- 1/2 pear (grated, optional tenderizer)
- 2 green onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (toasted)
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp oil (for the pan)
- 4 cups cooked rice (cooked, to serve)
- 1 lb cucumber (English or mini, thinly sliced, for the salad)
- 1 tsp salt (to draw out water from the cucumbers)
- 1 1/2 tsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes, to taste)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (for the salad)
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar (or honey, for the salad)
- 1 cup kimchi (optional, to serve)
- 8 leaves lettuce (optional, for wraps)
Method
- 1
Freeze the beef 1 to 1.5 hours to firm it up, then slice it as thinly as you can against the grain.
- 2
Mix the marinade (soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, grated onion, pear, half the green onion, sesame seeds, pepper) in a bowl. Add the beef and combine by hand. Marinate at least 30 minutes, overnight is best.
- 3
Heat a large skillet over medium-high with a little oil. Cook the beef in batches without crowding the pan, 2 to 4 minutes, until caramelized at the edges.
- 4
For the cucumber salad, toss the sliced cucumbers with 1 tsp salt and let sit 15 to 20 minutes, then drain off the liquid without squeezing. Stir together a minced garlic clove, the rest of the green onion, gochugaru, rice vinegar, a little soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds, then toss with the cucumbers.
- 5
Serve the beef over rice with the cucumber salad and kimchi. For ssam, wrap a bit of rice and beef in a lettuce leaf.
- 6
Ground beef shortcut: brown lean ground beef, then stir in the same soy, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame mix and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over rice.
