Bulgogi-grilled beef with a twist

As a carnivore, I love my beef dearly. While I do love a good ol' steak and chips, sometimes I just crave something a bit more...interesting, if you will. Bulgogi is a simple Korean grilled marinated beef dish, commonly eaten in a lettuce roll with kimchi, Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste), rice and other side dishes and condiments. The secret to tender and sweet beef is in the marinade. Can you spot the secret ingredient in Bulgogi?

Bulgogi, served with lettuce, kimchi, Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean sauce) and steamed rice

Ingredients for Bulgogi (serves 4-6):

• 600 grams scotch fillet (or other lean cuts of beef)
• ¾ cup light soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 40 grams caster sugar
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 nashi/Asian pear
• 1 large onion (brown or white)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 brown or white onion, sliced
• Shallots, sliced

Method:

1. Slice the beef as thin as possible. Add in soy sauce, water, sugar, garlic, salt and black pepper. Puree the pear and onion in a blender and add to the marinade. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes
2. Add sesame oil to the marinade right before grilling. Note: add the sesame oil earlier if you prefer a stronger sesame oil flavour
3. Heat a lightly-oiled heavy based grill pan or non-stick pan on high heat. Cook the marinated beef (minus the marinade) for around 2-3 minutes. Add a little marinade so that the beef would not dry out. Add sliced onion and cook for a minute or two, until the onion starts to collapse. Add sliced spring onion before turning off the heat
4. Serve bulgogi hot with a small amount of steamed rice, kimchi and a small amount of fermented soybean paste on a lettuce leaf. Roll up and enjoy! Note: it is considered rude in Korean etiquette to bite into the lettuce roll, so make sure your lettuce roll is small enough to fit into one mouth full!