I love the sweet, tangy, spicy flavor of a good bulgogi dish. When I thought about the components I realized I could take them and turn them into a soup while still retaining the distinct char flavor. I created a recipe for bulgogi marinade, but there are a couple of store bought sauces if you want to save a little it of time.
Traditionally the beef in a bulgogi dish is thinly sliced to get a nice caramelization of the sauce on the outside. Because this is a soup, I switched it to cubes so that the beef will not shred down too much. I used rice noodles in this dish, though if you prefer rice that would work just as well.
Bulgogi Marinade/Base
Ingredients
Garlic Cloves, large 2 ea
Ginger, peeled, diced 4 oz
Sesame Seed, toasted 3 T
Gochujang (Korean chili paste) 2 T
Chives, chopped 1 oz
Brown Sugar 1/2 cup
Coriander, ground 1 T
Mirin 1 T
Roasted Garlic Oil 2 T
Ponzu 2 T
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method of Procedure
Grind sesame seeds in a spice grinder.
In a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender combine all other ingredients and adjust sweetness, spice, heat, and saltiness to your taste.
Ingredients
Beef, sirloin/brisket/round 2 lbs
Bulgogi Marinade 2 cups
Onion, julienned 2 ea
Carrots, julienned 3 large
Garlic, sliced 4 ea
Sesame seed, toasted 1 T
Sesame oil 2 T
Brown Sugar 1/4 cup
Lime, zest and juice 1 ea
Cilantro, chopped 1/2 bunch
Jalapeño, seeded and diced 2 ea
Baby peppers, sliced 1 bag
Corn Starch 3 T
Water As needed
Chicken Stock 4 qt
Salt and Pepper As needed
Rice noodles, blanched, chopped 1 pack
Garnish
Sesame seeds, rice noodles, cilantro or chives
Method of Procedure
Portion beef into grill-able pieces and marinate with bulgogi sauce for at least 24 hours.
Grill steak so you have a hard char on the outside and chill. Once cold, dice beef into cubes.
Bring chicken stock up to a boil and blanch julienned carrots. Chill and place in refrigerator while reserving stock.
Place your soup pot on high heat. Once thoroughly heated put sesame oil in pan. Place diced beef in pot and sear heavily while stirring occasionally.
Add lime zest, brown sugar, and jalapenos and cook while stirring until softened.
Add sesame seeds, onions, and peppers and soften.
Add cilantro and the remaining bulgogi marinade and stir.
Add chicken stock, lime juice, and water (if needed) to cover the soup while giving you enough liquid for a broth.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 2 hours covered.
Remove cover and taste. Season if needed.
In a separate small bowl combine 3 T. cold water with corn starch while stirring to create a slurry.
Bring the soup back up to a boil and slowly pour your slurry into the broth to thicken.
Add your carrots to soup.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your noodles until tender.
Shock the noodles and coat with sesame oil. Chop into small pieces.
Place noodles in a bowl and ladle soup on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds
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