Bulgogi: Marinated Grilled Beef

Bulgogi — thin-sliced beef marinated in a soy-sugar-sesame-pear base and grilled — is one of the most technically instructive Korean preparations because its marinade achieves three simultaneous effects: flavouring (soy, garlic, sesame, green onion), tenderising (the enzymes in Asian pear or kiwi digest the beef's muscle proteins during marination), and caramelisation (the high sugar content produces rapid Maillard browning at the grill surface).

• Japanese yakitori tare (TJ-41): same layered sweet-soy glaze principle
• Char siu (CC-08): same sugar-caramelisation technique on marinated pork
• Turkish şiş kebab: yogurt tenderising parallels the enzyme tenderising in bulgogi