Gochugaru Braised Spicy Bulgogi. I'm assuming that you've already tried classic Bulgogi. But what if you want something more? Some spice and something more savory! Well, I got an amazing recipe to relive that craving. This Spicy Braised Bulgogi is perfect for spreading over a bowl of hot rice. Or stuffing into a late-night burrito. Whichever path you take, this recipe will leave you grinnin' 😀
Cooking Tips:
- The key step in this dish is the reduce of the broth. Be patient - and reduce it until there is barely any broth left (reference the video)
- If you don't have maesil (Korean plum extract) in your pantry, buy it here at Gochujar or you can get away with using plum juice (or even apple juice).
- You can also find kombu (dashima pieces) at Gochujar - or alternatively, use an anchovy-kelp broth bag when making the broth
- This makes enough for a 2-person serving
After tasting this, I couldn't help but imagine it on a warm flour tortilla - spread over a bed of cilantro-rice and topped-off with a line of cilantro-guacamole salsa. Ahh, I think I'm overdue for some proper Mexican food! (Rant finished...)
Enjoy Neighbors!! This one is going to hit the spot 💯

Ingredients
Fresh Ingredients
- 300-400 grams of Thinly Sliced Cuts of Rib-Eye Beef (Ask for Bulgogi Cut at Korean Marts)
- 2 whole King Oyster Mushrooms (Substitute with any mushroom)
- ½ package Shiitake Mushroom (Substitute with any mushroom)
- 1 stalk Spring Onion
- ½ whole Onion
Kombu Water
- 1.5 cups Water
- 1 iPhone-sized piece Kelp (Kombu)
Spicy Marinade
- 1.5 Tablespoons Gochugaru
- 1 Tablespoon Soup Soy Sauce (Or Use Regular Soy Sauce)
- ½ Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Gochujang
- 2 Tablespoons Maesil
- ½ Tablespoon Doenjang (Soybean Paste)
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- Few Shakes of Black Pepper
Bulgogi Marinade
- ½ Tablespoon Sugar
- 1.5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Mirim
Instructions
Make Kombu Broth
- Fill a mixing bowl with warm water (1.5 cups). Then place in an iphone-sized piece of kelp (kombu). Let it soak while we prep the other ingredients.
Make Spicy Gochugaru Marinade
- Take out a bowl and mix: Gochugaru (1.5 Tablespoons), Soup Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Minced Garlic (½ Tablespoon), Gochujang (1 Tablespoon), Maesil (2 Tablespoons), Doenjang (½ Tablespoon), Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon) and Black Pepper (few shakes).
Prep Bulgogi Beef
- Pat down the thin slices of beef with a paper towel. Then use your knife (or your hands) and split large pieces into smaller bite-sized piece. Add the piece to a mixing bowl.
- Then tenderize the meat by adding Sugar (½ Tablespoon). Use your hand to toss the meat in the sugar and get it coated evenly. Then add-in Soy Sauce (1.5 Tablespoons) and Mirim (1 Tablespoon). Give it another mix and set the meat aside for 15 minutes.
Prep Fresh Ingredients
- Slice 2 King Oyster Mushrooms into very thin slices. Cut through a package of Enoki Mushrooms and remove the stem. Take split half of it and give it a wash. Next, cut a stalk of spring onion into small pieces. Finally, thinly slice ½ an onion.
Time to Braise
- Before we start cooking, remove the kombu pieces from the water. We'll use this soon.
- Put a frying pan or wok on a medium heat. Then place in some oil. Once its hot, drop in the meat. Add the onions as well. Stir-fry both around until most of the pink in the meat is gone.
- Then add in the spicy marinade. Stir-fry everything for 30 seconds - so the sauce cooks in the heat too. Then, add in the Kombu water. Place the heat on a high and wait until the wok starts to boil again. Then add-in the king oyster mushrooms as well as the enoki mushrooms.
- Then we have to simply wait. Let the wok boil away and reduce for 20-30 minutes (depends on your heat of your stovetop). Stir the wok from time-to-time. Turn off the heat when the broth reduce to almost nothing (reference video).
- Plate and serve with hot rice!
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Rexy says
I've made this dish a couple of times and it's a winner! And if you make a double or triple batch of the spicy marinade (minus the garlic), it'll keep a really long time in the fridge and you'll have easy dinner option on hand. (Just add in garlic to the portion you want to cook.)
This dish is also adaptable. Besides beef, I've made it with chicken thigh and thinly sliced pork (though I don't recommend pork belly--the extra fat renders out and makes the dish a little greasy). Play around with whatever mushrooms you have on hand. One of these days I'll try making this with portobello mushrooms and thin sliced wood ears for an all-mushroom variation
Happy cooking!