Korean Beef Skewers...Bulgogi... Recipe
Like Van Cleef needs Arpel and Funk needs Wagnall...I need my daily morning blog read. I love checking in to see what Deb's whipped up or how Karon is doing (her mom is in the end stage of life) or what magnificent quilty things Lori, Nanette/Freda and Stephanie have made...they all put a smile on my face...and then there is Chris of Nibble Me This who usually makes me laugh out loud followed by a drool or two. When I saw his post for Bulgogi I went out that day and bought the ingredients...knowing it would be good...and it was. The mister and boy ate every piece and then requested I make it again. And that never happens!
Bulgogi is not a word I had heard before...if you said, "And then she bulgogied all over the place," I would know what you meant...or if you said, "That Bulgogi cut me off a mile back and I almost ran off the road!" I would get your drift...and even if you went so far as to say, " Why don't you go Bulgogi yourself!" Well, I would understand...but to find out Bulgogi is a food - and a very delicious food, well, that took me by surprise!
Thanks Wikipedia: "Bulgogi (Korean pronunciation: [pulɡoɡi]) or neobiani[1] is a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecued beef, chicken or pork. It is listed at number 23 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011...The word Bulgogi (불고기) literally means "fire meat" in Korean..."
Chris' recipe sounded great, and I suppose I should have just sent you to his post, which if you haven't visited you really should, but since I made a few changes I thought I'd tell you about them. And I only made changes because I live in an area where I can purchase thinly sliced Bulgogi meat (Uwajimayas) and instead of using ribeye, which he suggested, I used Beef ShortFlake - which I had never heard of either! And it was SO DANG GOOD! Oh the things I'm learning!! And I opted to use Sweet Soy Sauce instead of regular soy...it's thick, slightly sweet and not as salty tasting. As you can see, this made a lot of skewers...but each skewer only has the equivalent of maybe two bites of meat so they will fly off the plate. If there are any left over, they are just as good the next day...make sure you seal them in a Zip-lock style bag so the entire contents of your refrigerator don't smell and taste like garlic!
- Korean Beef Skewers - Bulgogi - Adapted From Nibble Me This
- 1 1/2 lbs. Shortflake steak, thinly sliced or you can use very thinly sliced Rib-eye, strip or flank steak
- 1/4 cup Sweet Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin (similar to rice wine vinegar, which you could use as a substitute, plus 1 teaspoon of sugar)
- 6 cloves, garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 green onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, loosely packed, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 16 wooden skewers (you can find them at most grocery stores, soak in water while meat is marinating)
- Sweet Chili Sauce for Serving, optional
If you are not using already sliced beef (by your butcher) then freeze your beef for about 30 minutes so it will be easier to slice, across the grain, as thinly as possible. Place sliced beef on a rimmed baking sheet. In a blender combine the remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over beef and using a fork, or your hands, make sure all of the beef is covered in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for one hour.
These would also make excellent appetizers! Which is why I now have them filed under Parties!