I don’t want to eat the same thing every day. For breakfast, I mix it up with various smoothies, overnight oatmeals, and banana breads. Lunch is usually a salad, sandwich or an assortment of snacks. For dinner, I might make a batch of something to eat throughout the week. The trouble with that is getting food fatigue. The same thing every day is boring.
To avoid the mundane meal, I like to cook something that can be transformed. Something that has some flexibility. I want to cook one thing that can become something different every night with just a few pantry items and a nice selection of produce. Enter my Bulgogi Mince.
This recipe excites all of the tastebuds. It has the sweet and sour that makes the mouth water. It has the salty and spicy that has you coming back for bite after bite. With just a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand, and maybe a quick stop at your local Asian market, you can achieve this delicious dish on a weekday evening with little stress.
Bulgogi is a very popular Korean dish of thinly sliced meat, often beef, that is marinated. It is then grilled or cooked in a hot pan. This version takes minced beef, and uses the same flavors to create a simple twist on a Korean staple.
Bulgogi Mince
Yield: 2 quarts
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
1 pound ground beef
7-10 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 onions, small dice
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apricot jam
2 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 cup green onion, sliced thin
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup kimchi, drained and chopped
1. Add the first ten ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly, cover with plastic, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Coat the bottom of your favorite pot or Dutch oven with about a tablespoon of oil. Add the marinated beef and cook over medium-low heat until the pot is nearly dry, stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon along the way, being careful not to scorch. This will take about 30 minutes.
3. Finally, fold in the scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil and kimchi while the mixture is still hot.
Imagine the Possibilities
I have been making this recipe for years and have come up with countless ways to utilize it creatively.
The most obvious application would be a rice or noodle bowl. Top some steamed rice, or rice noodles, with the Bulgogi Mince. Add some sliced radishes, thinly sliced scallions, additional kimchi and a fried egg. You essentially have a bibimbap. You could also do fried rice with the same ingredients.
A comforting dish like macaroni and cheese would be completely elevated by mixing in some Bulgogi Mince. You could even use the boxed stuff and level it up.
And tacos! And burritos! This Korean-Mexican trend started with the Kogi food trucks in Los Angeles, and continued with places like Hankook Taqueria in Atlanta, and Seoul Taco in St. Louis and Chicago. Filling a tortilla with Korean meats, kimchi rice and cheese. Delicious. Korean flavors with cheese is a shockingly amazing combination.
My absolute favorite way to use Bulgogi Mince is in my “World Famous” Bulgogi Pierogi. This is a creation that started years ago, when I was collaborating with a talented Korean chef. We would write menus and do events together, and we started to combine our recipes for the fun of it.
At that point, pierogies were a staple on my menus. And she always had a version of bulgogi on hers. Shortly after we teamed up, and after a bottle or two of natural wine, the Bulgogi Pierogi was born. The “world famous” tag was a running joke, as the dish gained a bit of notoriety. I continue to make them often to this day.
Speaking of pierogies, I will be demonstrating one at a Tasting Table demo on Tuesday, January 27, featuring sweet potatoes and ‘nduja. The Chopping Block also offers a great class called Chicago Neighborhoods Tour that includes a recipe for a traditional pierogi.
I hope to see you at my Tasting Table!
