Beef Bulgogi Salad
Beef Bulgogi is a Korean BBQ Beef marinated in chili paste with grated pear that helps tenderize the meat. The marinade is flavored with garlic and ginger, it’s a sweet and tangy bbq flavor. The sauce is creamy and sweet with a hint of spicy and tangy flavor from the Gochujang chili paste and mustard.
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Sometimes my daughter and I would like to take a break from being in the kitchen and just relax and go out to eat. We went to a Korean Restaurant two miles away from our house. Their menu include bbq, noodles, and all kinds of vegetable dishes. So many choices to choose from but what really stood out for us was their BBQ Beef. It’s typical for a Korean restaurant to have a bbq grill in the middle of the table, then serve you all kinds of marinated meat. You’re in charge of grilling your own meat! They also serve all kinds of side dishes like, pickled radish, kimchi, and all kinds of cut up veggies.
My daughter and I had a great time, we enjoyed the food and the ambiance. This experience gave me an idea of making my own Beef Bulgogi and creamy sauce to dip my Korean bbq in.
what is beef bulgogi
- Beef Bulgogi is one of the most popular Korean dishes. It’s a Korean BBQ Beef. Sirloin, New York Strips, Ribeye, top round, or any tender cut of beef will work well with this dish. The meat is grilled and serve with different types of veggies that are either pickled or raw. Grated pear is added to the marinade that helps tenderize the slices of beef, it also renders a nice fruity flavor. Gochujang, oyster sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch are the rest of the ingredients I used for the marinade. I made my own version of beef bulgogi, with salad and creamy sauce.
how to make the marinade
INGREDIENTS:
- Grated pear
- Grated ginger
- Grated garlic
- Soy sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Oyster sauce
- Gochujang chili paste – is a Korean chili paste that’s a little bit spicy but full of umami flavor
- Cornstarch
- Brown sugar
STEP-BY-STEP
- Buy a tender cut beef, it could be sirloin, New York strips, or top round. The more marbling the meat has the more flavor it renders. Slice the beef against the grain, cut them thin about 1/4 inch thick. Place the slices of beef in a bowl and get the rest of the ingredients ready.
- Use a microplane and grate pear, ginger, and garlic directly into the bowl of sliced beef. Add the soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, oyster sauce, Gochujang chili paste, cornstarch, and brown sugar. Toss the beef to coat well, then marinate for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
how to make the salad
INGREDIENTS
- Pear
- Lime juice
- Cabbage
- Purple cabbage
- Daikon
- Carrot
- Cucumber
- Scallions
- Option – add fresh herbs, like cilantro and mint leaves
STEP-BY-STEP
- Thinly slice the pear, squeeze fresh lime juice (to stop the pear from browning). Shred green and purple cabbage as well as carrot and daikon. Also, thinly slice cucumber and scallions. Set the prepped veggies aside.
how to make the creamy sauce
INGREDIENTS
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Gochujang chili paste
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Sugar
- Salt
STEP-BY-STEP
- In a small bowl, combine all creamy sauce ingredients. Stir until smooth and all ingredients are well incorporated.
watch how to make it
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Korean Beef Bulgogi
Equipment
- Cast iron pan or grill pan
- Tongs
- Chef knife
- cutting board
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 pound tender cut beef, thinly sliced, about 1/4 inch thick
- 1/2 pear grated
- 1 inch sized ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
FOR THE VEGGIES
- 1 pear sliced, divided in half, squeeze lime juice to prevent from browning
- 1/2 cup green or savoy cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 cup daikon, shredded
- 1/4 cup carrot, shredded
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 2 stalks of scallions, sliced
FOR THE CREAMY SAUCE
- 1 inch sized ginger, grated
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a bowl, add the slices of tender cut beef. Grate 1/2 of the pear, ginger, and garlic into the same bowl. Add soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, oyster sauce, Gochujang chili paste, cornstarch, and brown sugar. Toss to coat well. Marinate the beef for 45 minutes.
- For the veggies: slice 1/2 of the pear, squeeze lime to avoid browning. Shred the green or savoy cabbage, purple cabbage, daikon, and carrot. Slice the cucumber and scallions. Set aside.
- For the sauce. In a bowl, add grated ginger and garlic. Add Gochujang, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, and season with salt. Stir to combine.
- Heat a cast-iron pan or grill pan with oil. Add the beef slices in batches, do not crowd the pan. Cook the beef for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.
- Time to plate the salad. On a serving platter, place your veggies, beef, and sauce. You can serve it hot or cold. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the salad, you can use any veggies you like
- Pickled daikon or cucumber works well too
- You can use the sauce to flavor any meat you like
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @leanbellaskitchen and hashtag #leanbellaskitchenequipment
ABOUT JEN
Welcome to my virtual home. I’m a mom of two wonderful girls and a Community Education Culinary Instructor. I love to prepare and cook home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, cooking and prepping meals will save you money, time, and you know what goes into your food. Definitely worth the effort. Read more…
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