Cooking in

Qualicum Beach · Vancouver Island

Nearest city · Nanaimo Change

Korean · Korea

Bulgogi

Bulgogi (fire meat) is thinly sliced beef — rib-eye or sirloin — marinated in soy sauce, pear, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar, then quickly grilled or pan-cooked over high heat. The pear (or Asian pear) contains enzymes that tenderise the beef and add a natural sweetness. The result should be tender, juicy, caramelised at the edges, and sweet-savoury. It is the most accessible of Korean barbecue preparations.

‹Swipe for the next dish›

Serves4

Total30 min

Within reach6of 9 in Qualicum Beach

Five in town · one shipped · three not yet within reach.

How the 9 are reached

In town: 5 · garlic cloves, ginger, white onion, sugar, green onions
Shipped to you: 1 · mirin
Not yet within reach: 3 · beef ribeye or sirloin, soy sauce, toasted sesame seeds

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

800 g

beef ribeye or sirloin

thinly sliced against grain (3 mm)

Not yet within reach of Qualicum Beach · each reach is counted

60 ml

soy sauce

Not yet within reach of Qualicum Beach · each reach is counted

30 ml

mirin

Origin · JapanShipped to you · Wismettac →

30 ml

sesame oil

Your own market

20 ml

rice vinegar

Your own market

garlic cloves

minced

In town · Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville →

15 g

ginger

minced

Origin · New ZealandIn town · Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville →

3 g

white pepper

Your own market

2 g

kosher salt

Your own market

30 g

white onion

thinly sliced

In town · Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville →

2 g

sugar

In town · Global Village Nanaimo · Nanaimo →

green onions

cut into 2 cm lengths

In town · Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville →

3 g

toasted sesame seeds

Not yet within reach of Qualicum Beach · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Qualicum Beach →

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

The Method

Whisk together soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, white pepper, salt, and sugar; fold in onion and green onion.

Layer beef slices in non-reactive container; pour marinade over, separating layers gently; cover and refrigerate minimum 4 hours, up to 24 hours.

Remove bulgogi from refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking; bring to room temperature.

Heat heavy skillet or grill pan to high heat until smoking; working in batches, arrange beef slices in single layer (do not overlap).

Sear 1–2 minutes per side without moving (allow caramelization); transfer to platter as each batch finishes.

Pour any remaining marinade into hot pan and reduce 30 seconds; drizzle over beef; garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately with rice and banchan.

III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where bulgogi lives or dies is the caramelisation — the sugar in the marinade burns quickly at high heat, creating the characteristic sweet, sticky char. This is desirable; it is not burning. The beef should have dark, slightly crispy edges (from the caramelised sugar and soy) and a tender, juicy interior. Achieve this by cooking in very small batches (4-5 slices at a time) over maximum heat.

Pillar IV

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