Seoul Bulgogi Pot. This is my favorite way to eat bulgogi. That’s because you get a little bit of everything: bulgogi, mushrooms, and a tasty broth that you can spread over your rice. There are many different recipes for both bulgogi and bulgogi stew. But this is, by far, the easiest recipe! And it doesn’t compromise on flavor either. Save this as a must-try in your fall recipes list 🙂
When it comes to bulgogi, you need a slight touch of sweetness. Not overly sweet, but something to offset the soy-sauce. In this recipe, we will use Korean pear for this base layer of sweetness. Now, I know Korean pears are not sold everywhere. So you can substitute it with regular Western pears. However, I would recommend using 3-5 Western pears to extract 1 full cup of juice. Or alternatively, you can also use store-bought pear juice*.
[*If you will use store-bought pear juice, don’t add-in the extra 1 Tablespoon of sugar listed in the recipe. Store-bought pear juice is much sweeter than naturally-squeezed pear juice.]
This stew is meant to be eaten with rice. Before you start the recipe, get a fresh pot of rice cooking in the background! This stew also tastes great the next day. If you have leftovers at night, just re-heat in the morning for breakfast.
Alrighty neighbors, I’m at Incheon airport now – waiting on my flight to Italy. But I think I have overstay’d my welcome at this very busy cafe. Time to log off. Next week, Katie and I will check in from Rome with a video (or two).
Ciao and looking forward to sharing our geek-out moments in Eataaaaly! 🕺
Ingredients
- Thinly Sliced Beef - 400 grams use Shabu Shabu cuts
- Korean Potato Starch Noodles - a small handful (optional) Dangmyeon
- Oyster mushrooms - a handful
- Enoki mushrooms - 1/2 a package or small handful
- Onion - 1 whole
- Water - 1/2 cup add in when you cook the stew
Bulgogi Marinade
- Korean pear - 1 whole should make ~1 cup of pear juice
- Soy Sauce - 1/3 cup
- Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
- Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
- Honey - 1 Tablespoon
Final touches for the stew
- Soy Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
- Spring onion - small stalk size of your forearm
- Sesame seeds - few shakes
Instructions
Ingredient Prep
- Fill a small bowl with cold water. Place the potato starch noodles in and let them soak for 15-20 minutes.
- Cut the stems off the oyster mushroom and enoki mushroom. Use your fingers to split the oyster mushrooms apart from each other.
- Cut the spring onion into thin slices.
- Then cut the onion in half and then into thin slices.
Marinade Beef Slices
- Peel the Korean Pear and cut into smaller pieces. Then grate each piece into a mixing bowl. Use a strainer to catch the chunks and squeeze out any remaining juice into the bowl. You will need exactly 1 cup. (If you come up short, feel free to add in a little bit of store-bought pear juice).
- Next, add-in Soy Sauce (1/3 cup), Sugar (1 Tablespoon), Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon) and Honey (1 Tablespoon).
- Next, add in the sliced onions into the marinade.
- Finally, add the sliced beef into the marinad. De-tangle each meat piece as you add it in. Let it soak for 30 minutes.
Cook the Stew
- Place a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. (Don't add in any oil.) When its hot, use a pair of tongs to grab the soaking meat pieces and place directly into the frying pan. Add in the onion pieces as well. (Note: Do not dump-in the leftover marinade into the frying pan. There's enough marinade already soaked into the meat)
- Next, the most important step: Add in water (1/2 cup) to dilute the marinade.
- Once the pan starts to boil, move the meat to one side. Then grab the potato starch noodles out of the water and place into the pan. Add-in the enoki and oyster mushrooms. Then place a lid on and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, give the broth a taste. It may taste slightly bland: Add in Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon), and the spring onion slice.
- Turn heat off. Garnish with a few shakes of sesame seeds.
- Bon Appetit! Eat with a bowl of hot rice.
Notes
- Don't forget to add in that 1/2 cup of water as you cook the stew.
- If you will use store-bought pear juice, don't add in the 1T of sugar.
- See video below for more details
This is my new favourite easy go-to dinner! So easy to prepare and make – I like doing a bit of prep before dinner so then I can just throw it all on the stove and it’s done when the rice goes ding!
I use storebought beef bulgogi marinade, using about one and a half to two cups since I wanted to try it out. It works brilliantly, but I found the meat absorbs pretty much all of the sauce, so don’t overdo it! In compensation I add a bit more water to dilute it out, about 1.5-2 cups.
I am a huuuuuge fan of shiitake mushrooms and they are easier for me to get than little oyster mushrooms a lot of the time. I find that using some shiitake mushrooms adds a lot of extra flavour to the broth.
I think my favourite part of this dish is that it works so well with a reduced portion of rice (1/2 cup) and you still feel as though you are getting a hearty meal out of it.
Thank you Dan-Yul and Katie!
Great suggestion for quick dinners – minimum prep is key for weekdays!