Bulgogi Marinated Beef
Wafer-thin beef in a sweet and salty pear marinade, caramelized in minutes.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 10 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
Wafer-thin beef in a sweet and salty pear marinade, caramelized in minutes. The grated pear in the marinade is not a decorative element, but contains enzymes that tenderize the meat and give it a subtle sweetness at the same time. Bulgogi is classically wrapped in lettuce leaves and eaten with rice.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Slice the meat
Place the beef in the freezer for thirty minutes until it is firm on the outside but not frozen solid. This makes it possible to cut it into truly wafer-thin slices across the grain with a sharp knife. Alternatively, ask your butcher for meat for fondue or hot pot, which is already perfectly pre-sliced.
- 2
Mix the marinade
Mix the grated pear with soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and a generous portion of pepper until the sugar has dissolved. The marinade should taste distinctly sweet and salty at the same time, which is exactly the balance that makes bulgogi so special.
- 3
Marinate
Mix the meat with the onion wedges and the marinade and massage everything briefly with your hands so that every slice is coated. Let it steep for at least thirty minutes, preferably overnight in the fridge. You should not marinate for longer than twelve hours, otherwise the meat will become mealy due to the enzymes in the pear.
- 4
Sear
Heat a large pan or griddle until really hot and fry the meat in batches in a single layer for about two minutes per side. Do not overfill the pan under any circumstances, otherwise the meat will draw water and boil instead of frying. The marinade should caramelize at the edges and form dark brown spots.
- 5
Serve
Fold in the scallion pieces in the last thirty seconds so that they still have some bite. Serve the bulgogi with rice, lettuce leaves and some kimchi. Traditionally, you place a piece of meat with some rice in a lettuce leaf, fold it up and eat it in one bite.
