Korean bulgogi — the marinated grilled beef, Korea’s legendary dish

Bulgogi, which in Korean means “fire meat,” is one of the most famous dishes of Korean cuisine: very thin slices of beef marinated in a sweet-and-salty mixture of soy sauce, grated pear, garlic and sesame oil, then quickly seared over high heat. The secret, as also described in the classic Korean cookbook on Wikibooks, lies in the marinade — the grated pear tenderizes the meat and gives it natural sweetness, while caramelization in the pan gives it its characteristic smoky flavor.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 700 g beef (fillet or topside), cut into very thin slices
• 1 pear, finely grated
• 80 ml soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, cut diagonally
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• To serve: cooked rice; optionally lettuce leaves and kimchi

Preparation steps

1. Place the meat in the freezer for 30–40 minutes to firm up slightly — this makes it much easier to cut into thin slices (2–3 mm).
2. Grate the pear and mix it with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and pepper — this is the marinade.
3. Put the meat slices in the marinade, add the onion and mix well with your hands. Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
4. Take the meat out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Heat a large pan (or grill) over high heat until it starts to smoke.
5. Cook the meat in batches, in a single layer, 2–3 minutes without stirring until caramelized on the bottom, then stir for 2 more minutes.
6. Serve immediately with cooked rice, sprinkled with spring onions and sesame seeds. Traditionally it is wrapped in lettuce leaves with a little kimchi.

Time: Preparation 20 minutes + marinating at least 2 hours (ideally overnight); cooking 10 minutes. Servings: 4 people.