Korean Bulgogi Beef Bowl
Grated pear does in ten minutes what an overnight marinade does, and the beef caramelises in the liquid it came in.
Why it works
Pear carries enzymes that start softening muscle fibre on contact, so thin sirloin turns tender in the time it takes to shred a cucumber. Cook it in two batches over high heat and the sugars catch rather than boiling into a grey pool. The rice goes on first, and the ten minutes it sits under its lid is exactly the contact time the marinade wants.
Method
- Boil the kettle. Put the rinsed rice, salt and boiling water in a small pan, bring back to the boil, clamp on a lid and cook on the lowest heat for 10 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
- Stir the pear, soy, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and pepper together in a bowl. Add the beef, work it through with your fingers and leave it while you do everything else.
- Toss the cucumber and carrot with the vinegar and salt straight in the serving bowls.
- Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Lift half the beef out, letting the marinade drain back, and spread it in one layer. Leave it a minute, until the edges are lacquered dark, then toss a minute more, until no pink remains in the slices. Move to a plate and repeat with the rest.
- Add the onion and mushrooms to the hot pan and stir-fry 2 minutes, until softened and browning at the edges. Pour in the leftover marinade and bubble 45 seconds, until syrupy, then return the beef and toss to coat.
- Fork the rice into the bowls, pile the beef, onion and mushrooms on with their sauce, and finish with the kimchi, spring onion, sesame and gochugaru.
For the toddler
Set aside a few slices of beef at step 2, before they meet the marinade, and cook them plain — the marinade is soy and honey, and honey is not for a baby under one, though maple syrup stands in. Take their cucumber and carrot out at step 3 before the salt. Keep the kimchi and gochugaru off their plate, chop the beef small and cut the cucumber into soft strips.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Thin-sliced pork shoulder makes dwaeji bulgogi — add 1 tbsp gochujang to the marinade. Thick portobello slices take 4 minutes.
Ask the butcher to slice the sirloin, or use frozen shabu-shabu beef straight from the packet. Three 250 g pouches of rice save the pan.
Little gem leaves and a bowl of ssamjang for wrapping, or a fried egg slid onto each bowl.
3 days chilled; better cold in a lettuce wrap than reheated.