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Korean
Korean Beef Bulgogi
25 min total15 prep10 cook3 servings460 cal
ClassicFlexitarianContains soyContains sesame
Thin slices of beef marinated in a sweet and savory soy, garlic, and pear marinade, then quickly seared until caramelized at the edges. Served over rice with scallions and sesame seeds for an easy Korean dinner.
Ingredients
meat
- 500 gbeef sirloin
pantry
- 0.33 cupsoy sauce
- 3 tbspbrown sugar
- 2 tbspsesame oil
- 1 tbspsesame seeds
- 3 cupcooked white rice
- 1 tbspvegetable oil
produce
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 1 tspfresh ginger
- 0.5pear
- 3scallions
Steps
- Freeze the beef for 20–30 minutes to firm it up, then slice it very thinly against the grain.
- Grate the pear and mince the garlic and ginger.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and grated pear in a bowl to make the marinade.
- Add the sliced beef to the marinade, toss to coat, and let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 2 hours in the fridge.
- Slice the scallions, separating the white and green parts.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until very hot.
- Add the beef in a single layer, working in batches if needed, and sear 1–2 minutes per side until caramelized at the edges.
- Add the white parts of the scallions during the last minute of cooking.
- Cook the rice according to package instructions if not already prepared, and divide among bowls.
- Spoon the bulgogi over the rice and garnish with the green scallions and sesame seeds.
Tips
- Freeze the beef for 20–30 minutes before slicing — it makes cutting paper-thin strips much easier.
- Grated pear or apple in the marinade naturally tenderizes the beef and adds subtle sweetness.
- Cook the beef in batches over very high heat so it sears instead of stewing in its own liquid.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes, but not much longer than a few hours, or the texture can turn mushy.
