Bulgogi Beef
Marinated in a salty and sweet Korean marinade, this beef gives you take-out satisfaction without picking up your phone.
When I lived in Roncesvalles, a west end neighbourhood of Toronto, I would order take out from or eat in at Butler’s Pantry whenever I didn’t feel like cooking, or wanted a casual night out with friends. Their international menu of comfort food, super reasonable prices and friendly service always hit the spot. There were a few plates that I would order on repeat, the Kosharee (Egyption rice and lentils), the Biryani (Indian beef and rice), and their house specialty the Bulgogi Beef.
Butler’s is now no more, and I have tried over the years to recreate the meal that brought such comfort and joy for so many years. Last night I got pretty close, so wanted to share here asap!
Gather your ingredients first. Not pictured here are the sesame seeds. Or, the kimchi that I served this with.
Make the marinade, then stir in the beef, mushrooms and carrots. Let stand on the counter for 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for a longer marinade.
Ingredients
Marinade
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine or rice wine
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 Asian pear (or another firm pear) peeled and grated
Stir-Fry
450g (1 pound) flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
250g-300g white mushrooms quartered
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced on an angle
Serve with;
4 servings of cooked rice of your choice,
4 green onions, thinly sliced,
additional sesame seeds,
kimchi (optional, but recommended).
Bulgogi Beef
Servings 4 Time 20 minutes plus 15 minutes to 2 hours for marinating
Recipe modified in ingredients and procedure from The Affordable Feasts Collection cookbook by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
Directions
Stir together all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Add stir fry ingredients and stir to coat. If marinating for 15 minutes leave on the counter. If you are able to marinate longer, cover and refrigerate.
Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to add the stir-fry mixture to the hot pan, and leave the liquid in the bowl. Stir-fry the meat and mushrooms until brown. As the ingredients cook, remove liquid that accumulates by tilting the pan and spooning it into the marinade bowl, this will help with browning.
When the meat looks caramelized and a little sticky, add back a few spoonfuls of the marinade and allow it to bubble and slightly thicken for 1 minute.
Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions.
Serve the bulgogi beef over rice. Top as desired.
Top with green onions, additional sesame seeds and serve with rice and kimchi.
