bulgogi (pulgogi)

All ingredients are approximate (traditionally made by tasting hands after mixing *wink*)

2 lbs beef roast sliced thinly
¼ - ¾ cup soy sauce
roasted sesame seeds (see how below)
3 cloves minced garlic
6-10 chopped green onions
approx ¼ cup sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
black pepper

marinate overnight in smallest bowl possible. cook in sauce pan, fry pan, broiler or grill until brown. serve with rice and kimchee.

NOTE: this recipe is often used on beef ribs but ribs are very difficult to marinate in the same fashion as boneless meat. when marinating ribs, i often make enough marinade for both the ribs and a roast and i surround the ribs in the marinating bowl with the juices and the other pieces of meat for maximum coverage.




how to roast your own sesame seeds

1) pour sesame seeds into a bowl of water where the level rises above the seeds.
2) stir gently with your hands to find rocks and odd bits of debris.
3) rinse and strain well.
4) put in a medium hot skillet (i always use iron for a great flavor)
5) constantly stirring to prevent burning, continue to heat until the overall color changes to desired doneness (careful, they pop)


6) remove from heat and place in adequate sized bowl and pop (not crush) the seeds with a pestle to maximize flavor.

regarding pestles: the expensive marble varieties often used for herbs and pharmaceuticals will work, but if you don't have one of these, you can get a nice (effective) wooden pestle at most any Asian food marts. they resemble a billy club or small baseball bat. i just use one of these and a large ceramic cake mixing bowl. i call it my 'squisher'.



7) store in airtight container.
NOTE: i've actually had these mold once (rare) so i often keep mine in the freezer.