You can go all-in with the spice when making bulgogi or you can pull it back and make it mild. I went a little spicy with this Korean BBQ because sometimes we need our mouths to catch on fire, if only for a moment. The great thing about bulgogi is it has a sweet side as well that balances out the mouth-on-fire part. And Korean beef bulgogi over rice, to me, is perfection.
Korean Beef Bulgogi Can Be Mild Or Spicy - You Choose!
I love the idea of a grill in the middle of your table at a restaurant. It's so much fun to participate in the eating and dining experience. We don't have that too much in the U.S., so when I was in Korea it was an absolute blast! And beef bulgogi? Man, it has such incredible flavor. Also, it's not like you're slaving over a stove top cooking - the beef is sliced so thin it takes only a minute or two on each side until it's ready.
As a side note, I loved Korean beef bulgogi over rice when I lived there, but my absolute favorite food was dak galbi. It is a spicy chicken stir fry. And when I say spicy, I mean nuclear spicy. It took some time, but I began to love and crave really spicy food. Dak galbi is one of those dishes. In fact, the very first Korean phrase I learned (I don't know many, sorry), was how to say, "Mul juseyo." This translates to "water please." They provided tiny dixie cup-sized water at restaurants. I drank one after every bite. Therefore, I was constantly saying, "Mul juseyo, mul juseyo, mul juseyo." I especially said this when I was eating dak galbi. The server would reappear with the pitcher of water and finally, I would beg for them to just leave the water pitcher on the table. They always laughed and left the pitcher. Korean food is awesome and I highly recommend you give it a try. One of my other favorites was dolsot bibimbop - this is very common if you go to a Korean restaurant. So incredible!
Beef Bulgogi is Simple to Prepare and Versatile
Korean beef bulgogi takes very little time to throw together and you can serve it over rice, on top of a salad, rolled up in lettuce leaves or in my Korean Bulgogi Sandwich with Spicy Cucumbers & Cheddar. There are a lot of common ingredients included in this recipe and you probably already have at least half on hand. You may need to buy the sambal and gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), but you will use them again, trust me. In fact, sambal is now fairly common at most grocery stores. The marinade is easy to make and packed with flavor.
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The recipe for my spicy Korean cucumbers is in the bulgogi sandwich recipe and would also make a great side dish for bulgogi over rice. That was one of my favorite surprises about living in South Korea. The side dishes. Whenever you ate at a restaurant, a huge variety of side dishes accompanied your entree.
WHERE CAN I FIND THIN-SLICED RIBEYE OR AN ALTERNATIVE?
When it comes to buying the meat for bulgogi, thin sliced ribeye is my favorite. Sirloin steak works well too. I'm really lucky that I live near a Korean supermarket chain. When I make bulgogi, I buy my beef there. They are ready. They have a whole section just for people making bulgogi. It's the most beautiful, thin, perfectly sliced ribeye you've ever seen. You'll see it in my video.
However, I realize not everyone has an awesome Korean market nearby. Another factor is cost - ribeye can get very expensive. Solution? You can easily use sirloin which is much more affordable and will taste just as delicious! In fact, when Petite N.Y. Sirloin goes on sale for either $4.99 or $5.99 per pound - I always stock up. This is a great, less expensive alternative to ribeye. It's the same steak I used for my Steak Salad with Pickled Red Onions and Bleu Cheese if you want to take a look at that.
Finally, the best way to get those really thin slices? First, ask the butcher at your local grocery store to slice it thin for you - no more than ¼" in thickness and thinner is better. Second, at home, freeze the whole steak for an hour or so, then use your sharpest knife to slice the steak as thin as possible. When it's slightly (barely) frozen it's easier to slice.
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Korean Beef Bulgogi Over Rice
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
Description
Easy Korean beef bulgogi over rice that will drive your taste buds crazy. A little sweet, a little spicy and a lot of deliciousness!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds of thinly sliced ribeye or sirloin steak (see note #1)
- Olive oil or neutral oil for cooking meat
- 1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
- 1 small bunch of scallions, chopped and divided
For the marinade:
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (about 1 inch of ginger)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ pear, peeled and grated
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes - see note #2)
- 2 tablespoons sambal chili sauce (see note#3)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
For the rice:
- 1 ½ cups white rice (I used basmati) Whether you use regular white rice or basmati, simply cook according to package instructions. Remember to add salt and butter (or olive oil) to the pot.
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Instructions
- Start cooking the rice at the beginning of the process so it's finished by the end.
- The marinade: Finely dice the garlic and put in a bowl. Grate the ginger (an inch or so) and add to bowl. Add brown sugar, honey, ½ a pear (grated), soy sauce, gochugaru, sambal chili sauce, sesame oil and chopped scallions. Give it a taste here. If you want it sweeter add more sugar. You want it spicier? Add more sambal or chili flakes.
- The thinly sliced ribeye. I bought mine at a Korean market. If you do not have access to this you can buy ribeye or sirloin steaks, put them in the freezer for an hour or so before you start this recipe. This way it will be easier to slice the meat. Cut the meat as thin as possible before marinating – no more than a ¼” thick - thinner is better. If you’re using the already-sliced ribeye, pull apart the thin slices and put them in a bowl. My video shows this well.
- Pour the marinade over the meat. Gently mix the meat around and massage the marinade into the slices of ribeye or sirloin until all the meat is coated. Wrap the bowl in plastic and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- If you are toasting the sesame seeds you should do that now. Heat them in a pan on low heat and toss them a few times. It takes about five minutes or so. They burn easily so be careful. Allow to cool before using.
- I used two pans to cook the meat so it would take less time. Heat a little olive oil or neutral oil in your pans. Maybe 1 tablespoon per pan. Heat should be medium-to-high here. Let it get hot before adding the meat.
- Start adding the meat to the pan. It will cook very quickly – maybe one to two minutes on each side and it’s done. There will be a nice caramelization in the pan from the brown sugar and pear that will give the meat a good sear on the outside.
- Transfer the cooked meat to a plate or sheet pan when finished cooking.
- Everyone can serve themselves or you can put all the meat in a serving bowl and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and fresh scallions. Serve with rice.
Notes
- The marinade can probably hold another ½ to ¾ pound of meat so if you have more that's okay.
- If you don’t have gochugaru, you can use regular chili powder, chili flakes or red pepper flakes work here too. Just remember different brands have different intensity of heat. You know your brand so add according to your heat preference.
- If you don’t have Sambal chili sauce, Sriracha sauce will work too. That seems like a more common thing people have in the cabinet. Add to the marinade according to your heat preference. Try one tablespoon at a time and taste it to see if it’s spicy enough.
- The sesame seeds. One tablespoon may be enough for you. I toasted 2 tablespoons because I knew I would use it for something else.
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