"korean cooking" news and stories

The idea for a bulgogi burger came to me last summer when I was thinking about entering a burger grill-off/competition. Little did I know that the "Bulgogi Burger" is already a standard menu item on fast food burger joints in Korea. I was slightly disheartened, since my idea wasn't original, and scrapped it for the competition.

But I never forgot about making it myself. I've never actually tried a bulgogi burger in Korea (it's been about 15 years since I've been there), and decided that I didn't want to know how it is made in tha' Motherland. I wanted to come up with my own. Besides, someone also told me that many "Bulgogi Burgers" are not burgers at all - they are real pieces of bulgogi slapped between the buns. Who knows? I didn't care.

The two most popular cuts of beef for Korean barbecue are cross-cut shortribs (galbee) and thinly-sliced ribeye (bulgogi). However, marinating a whole side of beef, or in this case, a flank steak ,in the same seasonings, grilling, then slicing the grilled steak after cooking is a good way to enjoy Korean barbecue as well. Most Koreans wrap up a slice of beef with a little spoonful of rice and some red pepper sauce in a lettuce leaf, but I usually leave the rice out and double up on the hot sauce.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp. minced ginger, 4-5 minced garlic cloves, and a dash of black pepper.

Place a 2 lb flank steak in a large zipper seal bag, along with the marinade. Let steak marinate for about 30 minutes, turning the bag occasionally to cover all sides. 

Grill the marinated flank steak for about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove the steak from the heat and let sit, covered, for at least five minutes. Do not touch, poke or prod it.

Korean bulgogi is made with thinly sliced ribeye or other beef, but the same marinade, with a slight modification, can be used on chicken.

Simply take the same marinade you use for bulgogi (soy sauce, broth, rice wine vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic, onion, shallots, sesame oil) and about 1-2 Tbsp. goh-cho-jahng (Spicy Korean red pepper paste) for every half cup of marinade. Let thinly sliced pieces of chicken marinate for an hour, up to overnight in the refrigerator, then grill, pan-fry, or broil the same way for bulgogi.

Will wonders at the Korean market never cease?! Sahm-gyae-tahng (that's my spelling, but others may Romanize it differently) is a Korean chicken soup made by boiling a whole young chicken that is stuffed with sweet rice, ginseng, and Korean dates (jujubes). It supposed to simmer for a long time on the stove top to draw all the nutrients out of the chicken's meat and bones, so it's supposedly served as a "healing" soup.

At the market, I came across sahm-gyae-tahng all ready to go in a bag - rice, dried ginseng, Korean dates, and even the seasonings. All you have to do is add a chicken and follow the directions on the package. Kind of like those Hormel add-your-own meat mixes.

I've been going to the Korean markets in LA a lot more often now as I explore my Korean side in the kitchen. Though I am not unfamiliar with many of the rather unusual and new food products and ingredients to be found in Asian markets, I was pretty amused on my last few visits. I am not sure if I was just never aware of certain products, or that they really are new. Clam jerky?

Now don't get me wrong. I know all about dried seafood. Dried seaweed (called "gim" in Korean and "nori" in Japanese), dried fish, and even dried squid. In fact, I used to gobble up dried squid while watching tv when I was a kid. However, I just can't imagine what clam jerky would look or even taste like. Pretty damn good if it's $4.99!