Korean BBQ at Home

Inspired by my husband's recent business trip to Korea, I decided to try my hand at some Korean food. Also, I was curious to see how this Korean steak compared to my family's tried and true recipe. It's called Korean-style Bulgogi (Jon and Kate + 8, anyone?). This sauce was definitely spicier which was yummy (I even cut down on the spice that the recipe called for - good thing!) and the meat had a good flavor even though it was not marinated. Usually, we'll never grill anything unless it's marinated but this sauce really coated the meat. I also like how the scallions were added at the end instead of marinating with the meat so they were wilty. Other than that, I think I like this recipe from Cuisine at Home and my original recipe equally as well - both yummy, just different.

Bulgogi

adapted from Cuisine at Home

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup rice vinegar

4 tbsp. soy sauce

4 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced (I had bought some and then couldn't find it so I used 3-4 tsp. ground ginger and it was fine)

2 tbsp. garlic, minced

3 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. sambal (spicy chile paste)

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 flank steak, cut into strips (The original recipe called for rib-eyes but I had this on hand.)

Salt and pepper

Sliced scallions

Toasted sesame seeds

Preheat grill to high. Simmer sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and sambal together in a small saucepan over high heat. Combine water and cornstarch in a small boal, then whisk into the sauce. Return mixture to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

Season steak with salt and pepper; grill meat until done. Toss in sauce. If desired, set some aside for dipping. We just tossed it in all the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with vermicelli and vegetables.

Sesame Rice Vermicelli

4 oz. dry rice vermicelli

2 tbsp. scallions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Prepare vermicelli according to package instructions and cool. Toss with remaining ingredients.

Spicy Pickled Vegetables

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. sambal

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup carrots, sliced into matchsticks (There was supposed to be a radish too but I didn't have it so I just increased the amount of carrots. If you have both, do 1/3 cup of each.)

1/2 cup cucumber, seeded, sliced into half-moons

Whisk ingredients until sugar and salt dissolve. Pour marinade over vegetables is a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate 1 hour. Don't leave them any longer than this or they'll get too soft and very spicy. Drain in a colander before serving.