I made Chicken Bulgogi today. You know those moments when you just want that one particular thing and nothing else? Well, today was one such day. I wanted my Bulgogi, period.
In desperation, I scoured for a recipe … a simple one, hopefully using ingredients I already had on hand. Fortunately, I quickly foundthis and launched straight into Operation Bulgogi.
After fixing up the marinade, I tasted it and found it a little on the flat side. Well, it IS a very basic recipe. So I upped the ante by adding a dollop of lethal chilli paste, a cut red chilli (de-seeded) and MORE garlic! Long live garlic.
Thankfully, the dish did not disappoint and I had an enjoyable Bulgogi dinner. Nothing worse than having a craving only to be let down at first bite. I had it with rice, and it was pretty darn neat 🙂 However, if anyone (especially if you’re Korean!) has a tried-and-tested, authentic Bulgogi marinade to share, please leave a comment or drop me an email. This is my first time making this dish and I am sure there are far better recipes and/or prep methods out there. Thank you in advance!
Recipe
(adapted fromhere)
– 1 chicken breast, filleted thinly
– 4 or 5 cloves chopped garlic
– 3 tbsp soy sauce
– 2 tbsp sugar (I used brown sugar)
– 1 tbsp honey
– 2 tbsp fresh squeezed juice from an Asian pear (I omitted this)
– 1 tbsp mirin
– 1 tbsp sesame oil
– 3 stalks spring onions, finely chopped (including white part)
– 1 1/2 tsp pepper
– 1 tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
What I added:
– 1 tsp chilli paste
– 1 cut red chilli, de-seeded
– MORE garlic!
Mix marinade together until sugar and honey are dissolved/distributed. Add in the sliced chicken and let the flavours infuse for at least 30mins before cooking. I let it sit for almost 2 hours. The good thing is that since the meat is sliced thinly, they don’t take too long to absorb the marinade.
Take the chill off the meat before cooking. I don’t have a grill, so I simply panfried with a little bit of oil and some of the marinade. The meat cooks very quickly, so keep a watchful eye. Also, the sugar content in the marinade means there will be browning and caramelisation. Make sure your fire is not too big or it’ll burn fast.
Place the Chicken Bulgogi onto a serving plate. Sprinkle (generously!) toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.Jalmukesumneda!
