Stir Fry: Korean Bulgogi
We end up having Bulgogi 3 times a month. Three times a month sounds like a little huh?
Not in this family, our taste buds get so bored that we try not to eat the same stuff over and over. If we do, we end up waiting like a year to eat it again, lol. It’s not that it wasn’t good, it’s just to much of a good thing can really psych us out.
Sometimes it’s really hard to say no to a dish we absolutely thought was mouthwateringly delicious. But you have to or you might end up casting it out, and then you end up with a problem of “What should we eat tonight?”. I learned this the hard way,
I had restaurants that I would go to (in the past) over and over in a row because something was so delicious. I ate and ate until…well until I literally couldn’t eat it anymore!
So believe me when I say that this Bulgogi recipe is such a wonderfully delicious stir-fry. You can have it over rice or in a lettuce wrap Whatever you choose, this recipe will have you breaking the rules to make it over and over again!
Bulgogi is a Korean Stir-Fry. I have 4 beautiful and amazing half sisters that are half Korean, and my dad learned this dish from their mother. He may have tweaked it a little bit, and then I tweaked it some more to make a sauce that I can refer back to again and again.
Have you also ever wondered why the skirt steak is so cheap at the grocery store? Maybe because its so tough when you cook it. OR maybe it was so tough when so many people tried cooking it that it’s hard to sell it now.
I don’t know, but I sure do have a solution to the problem! You’ve got to cook the meat in a oiled skillet on HIGH for 1 minute on each side. You’ll have tender thin strips of meat in minutes Literally! You just have to be VERY CAREFUL when handling the high heat and oil.
I leave a lot of room to back up immediately after adding the meat mixture to all the boiling hot oil!
This dish requires vegetables, there are many times when i’m in a time crunch that I use a large bag (1lb) of frozen stir-fry vegetable. Then there are times when I have a bunch of fresh veggies on hand that I have to use up before they go bad.
Use a variety of vegetables (a pounds worth) good for stir-fry’s such as:
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Onions
- Red Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
I thought the solution to the problem was so awesome, that I purchase skirt steak all the time!
It saves me money to add this to the dinner list a few times for the month for Bulgogi Stir-fry’s!
Ingredients
Bulgogi Marinade (Below)*
1 lb of Spendini/Wafer beef or any thinly sliced beef
Sir-Fry Vegetables, Cooked (Frozen or Fresh):
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Onions
- Red Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
*Bulgogi Marinade
1/8 cup Sesame Oil (low Sodium)
1/8 cup Honey
1/8 cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Soy Sauce Alternative
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Water or (Beef, Chicken, Vegetable) Broth
1 tsp White Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Apple Cedar Vinegar
1 - 2 tsp Molasses
1 tsp Minced garlic
Herbs
Pinch of Salt (optional)
Pinch of Black Pepper or Cayenne For Additional Heat
Directions
- Slice the thinly Sliced beef into thin strips/slivers, then place into a large bowl
- Add in all the ingredients for the bulgogi marinade and let sit for at least 30min, preferable 1 hour or more (don’t exceed more than 8 hours)
- Next steam fresh vegetables together in skillet till just cooked
- Once the meat has marinaded. Heat a separate large skillet or Wok on High
- Heat Oil in skillet
- Slowly and carefully Add Meat and its Marinade, Cook meat for 1 minute on each side, then lower the heat to Medium-low and add the stir-fry vegetables to the skillet and cook everything together for 5 min, stirring every couple of minutes
- Note: The Oil and Sauce will pop and steam incredibly, so seriously be careful when adding these ingredients to the high heated oil
- Serve over rice, or even make lettuce wraps
Tips:
If using frozen vegetables, cook till cooked as directed on package before adding it to the cooked meat.
If using fresh vegetables, cook them before adding them to the cooked meat mixture
If you can't find thinly sliced beef, you can slice thin pieces of sirloin or rib-eye steaks yourself. The trick is to slice the meat when it is frozen!