Let’s look at this beautiful magical dish:
- No crazy ingredients. (You probably have everything but the steak hanging out in your kitchen already.)
- Honest-to-goodness 40 minutes start to finish, and only 10 minutes actual cooking. (Five to throw everything in a food processor, 30 hands-off marinating time, five to finish it in the skillet. BAM.)
- And maybe best of all, only two dishes to clean: food processor and skillet. (YASSSSS.)
Oh and also, CRAZY LICK-THE-PLATE DELICIOUS.
I swear to you, we are never paying $20+ for crappy takeout food again. This Korean dish is taking care of all my American-takeout-Chinese cravings forever and keeping both my stomach and my bank account happy.
Bulgogi should be made with pear instead of apple, and I highly recommend it – if pears are available in your area, go for it! That extra sweetness caramelizes on the outside beautifully.
Despite being in season at the moment, I couldn’t find pears at either (ha!) grocery store at our home-for-the-winter in rural Wyoming. Turns out that apples will do in a pinch and the bulgogi will still be ridiculously good.
I’ve made this with gala and honeycrisp apples, both of which hold up really well. Pick a crisp apple to get all that good caramelization going.
Better-Than-Takeout Bulgogi
Ingredients
- 1 red apple cored & cut into chunks
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 T. fresh ginger grated
- 2 T. soy sauce
- 1 t. red pepper flakes
- 1 T. brown sugar
- 1 T. sesame oil
- 1-2 T. water
- 1 lb. skirt or hanger steak
- 2 T. vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
- jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- Add apple, garlic, ginger, soy, red pepper, brown sugar, and sesame oil to a food processor. Pulse on high until smooth, adding water a little at a time if needed. Pour into a large sealable bag.
- Slice steak very thinly against the grain so it will be fall-apart tender. Add steak to marinade, seal bag, and shake until all the meat is coated.
- Let the meat marinate for 30 minutes on the counter or up to 8 hours in the fridge. (Unlike most marinades, we prefer the flavor of the quick 30-minute option!)
- Heat 1 T. oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Arrange half of the meat in a single layer in the skillet and let cook without moving for 1 minute. Toss meat and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until edges are caramelized, then remove to a plate. Wipe out skillet, heat 1 T. oil, and repeat with the remaining meat.
- Sprinkle sliced green onions over the bulgogi. Serve hot with jasmine rice.
Print Recipe
First, you have to say bulgogi 3 times fast. If your lips don’t feel like rubber, you’re not pronouncing it properly.
This is ridiculously delicious considering how few ingredients there are. I used apple and marinated 30 minutes. The mmmmmm! aroma of the marinade made my mouth water. I’m going to make a double batch next time (soon!) and freeze half. I also plan to try it with chicken.