Korea – Bulgogi

by Eveyln Brutz

Bulgogi is Korean style grilled and roasted meat dish which is also known as FIRE MEAT. This dish is actually a slice of grilled meat which is marinated with barbeque sauce and some other traditional ingredients which are then grilled on the pan or either you can roast it in the oven and barbeque over the charcoal. This dish is loved by everybody because of the spicy and delicious marination, herbs, spices, etc. This dish is traditionally made up of Beef meat but it can also be cooked in Mutton, pork, and even Chicken.

There are many techniques from which this dish is cooked like you can roast, grill, stir-fry, steam, fry, barbeque, etc. Traditionally this dish is grilled over the pan on the stove and in restaurants, this is cooked in smoky flavors like barbeque, charcoal, etc.

There are few cuts of beef meat which is usually used in cooking this dish like Rib, leg, Sirloin steaks, Brisket lower chest meat. These cuts are seemed to be more appropriate for grilling because the water content is higher and muscles are more tendered in these areas.

ETYMOLOGY

BULGOGI is a Korean word that means FIRE MEAT. BUL means, Fire, and GOGI means, Meat. In common language, we can say this dish is Fire meat. Fire is called in a sense that at the time of PYONGAN DIALECT, Cooking meat over the burning charcoal in a sense of grilling is said to be fired.

From the dictionary, fire meat is define as a :

A sliced meat, marinated and cooked on the burning charcoal.

WHAT IS GUI ?

Gui is a Korean cooking style which is usually said in a sense of Grilled food. So this dish, Bulgogi is a Gui, grilled dish and has many techniques to be followed to cook a perfect grilled dish. Many dishes which is popular in Korea are made from this technique, Gui. Galbi-gui is a dish which is grilled ribs.

From this technique, we can cook meat, vegetables, Offal, seafood, etc. Because this technique is simply a marinated meat or vegetable and that is cooked on the charcoal. We can marinate vegetables with desirable flavors, we can marinate meat and cook in by this GUI technique.

In this dish, Bulgogi, thinly sliced meat/ especially beef is marinated with traditional spices like salt, pepper, herbs, soya sauce, vinegar, and then cook on the grill pan and on the charcoal if you like the smoky flavor.

HISTORY

During the era of GOGURYEO, beef slices are marinated with spices and then skewed over the skewers and then cook on the charcoal and serve. At that time this dish is called MAEKJEOK. Over the time when thinly sliced meat is cooked on the pan with many sauces and spices and then charcoal smoke is given to have a smoky flavor and burnt effect, this dish is said to be as NEOBIANI.

With the time, this dish is evolved and Bulgogi dish is came up with the new twist of thinly sliced meat and barbeque gui technique cooking.

CONSTITUENT OF THIS DISH

1.MEAT

• Beef
• Mutton
• Pork
• Chicken
• Seafood
• Scallions, etc.

2.PREFERRED BEEF CUTS

This dish has following beef cuts that is usually cooked in this dish like :

• Sirloin steaks
• Rib
• Lower chest
• Flank
• Shin, etc.

3. VEGETABLES

• Mushrooms
• Shiitake
• mushrooms
• Scallions
• Garlic
• Potato
• Carrot, etc.

COMPLEMENTARY SIDE ELEMENTS

This dish is served with the following elements :

• Steamed rice
• Fried rice
• In Burgers
• Fast food, etc.

CALORIES IN BULGOGI

• Calories : 350
• Total carbohydrates : 50 grams
• Protein : 120 grams
• Total Fat : 20 grams
• Fiber : 10 grams

INGREDIENTS OF BULGOGI

• Boneless Beef eye rib 2 pounds
• onions 1 chopped
• pepper 1 chopped
• mushrooms 1 cup
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper 1 teaspoon
• cayenne 1 teaspoon
• Vegetable oil 4 tablespoons
• sesame seeds 2 tablespoons
• Soya sauce 4 tablespoons
• Mirin 4 tablespoons

DIRECTIONS OF THE COOKING

• Take beef thin slices and marinated them with spices like salt, pepper, and soya sauce.
• Now let these beef slices marinate for 20 minutes.
• In meanwhile, take vegetable oil and add onions into it and fry for a while.
• Now add potatoes, carrots, pepper, and mushrooms in them.
• It’s time to add cayenne pepper into vegetables and some salt.
• Beef is marinated now take a grill pan and add beef into it with some vegetable oil and fry them until the beef cooked completely.
• Now add sauteed vegetables into the beef and let them cook with all the juices and sauces together,
• It takes 20 minutes to cook the thin beef slices.
• Serve!