Bulgogi and Kimbap

When I was 9 years old we had 2 Korean exchange students stay with us for 10 days.  It was a gateway into the exciting world of travel, language, culture and food!  Since then I've loved and explored many different cultures and cuisines, but Korean has always held a special place in my heart.

My specialties are bulgogi (불고기) and kimbap (긴밥).  Bulgogi is korean marinated beef sliced very thin, and kimbap is a korean version of a sushi roll.  

Kim bop before being sliced

If you're making both, the first thing you want to do is get the beef prepared in the marinade.  I usually buy sirloin tip, but really any beef cut will probably work.  The key is to slice it very thin.  Usually I aim for pieces that are about 1-2 inches long, and I trim all the fat.

In a separate bowl I mix the marinade, then pour over the sliced beef, give it a quick toss and put it in the fridge.  You want to marinade it for no less than 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.

Bulgogi Ingredients:
- 3 pounds sirloin tip (or other beef cut)
-  1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 2 Tbsp. roasted sesame seeds

While that's marinading you can start preparing all the ingredients for the rolls.  This can be a little time consuming, as you have to prepare every ingredient separately, and everything should be cooled off by the time you assemble the rolls.  The first thing is to cook some rice.  The rice for these rolls comes in a few different names. I've found it labeled as sushi rice, Korean sticky rice, glutinous rice, or you can ask the shop owner.  The rice I used for these rolls didn't say any of these, but it had Korean writing all over the bag and the shop owner said it was good for kimbap.  He also told me if I was buying less than a 15lb bag I wasn't eating enough rice... So I got a 15lb bag, and I think it'll be gone before we move.

I made 3 cups to start with in my rice cooker.  When it was done, I added a drizzle of sesame oil and some salt, gave it a stir, and waited for it to cool.

Meanwhile I moved onto the other ingredients.  In my kimbap I use egg, carrot, spinach, daikon (pickled radish), and spam, which I may leave out if I know I will be serving it to vegetarians, or people who don't really like spam.  You can really put anything you'd like in there.  The daikon is usually in any kimbap you might buy at a store or restaurant, and the egg and carrot are pretty common too, but really you can put anything in them.

With the eggs, you will wisk them up, adding a little salt, and pour them into a hot pan primed with olive oil or sesame oil.  Think of them like an omelet that you don't fold.  I like to put a lid on mine to help cook the top, but if you need to, and you are skillful, you can flip the egg towards the end to finish cooking the top.  After you remove it from the pan, it will be a nice circular piece of egg.  This is important: let it cool!  You need to slice it into strips, and if you try to slice it when still warm it will most likely tear.

Slice the carrot into matchstick pieces, give them a quick saute in the pan with some sesame oil and salt.  Don't cook them, just heat them up for about a minute, remove them, and let them cool.  Next you can add your spam into the pan.  I slice mine into strip like pieces so I can line them up in my rolls.  You can use any meat for this as long as it is in strip form... You can even use leftover bulgogi!

For the spinach, you want to boil a pot of salted water, toss in the spinach, and take out after cooking for a minute or two.  Strain the cooked spinach, run cold water over it, and then what I usually do is ball it up and squeeze it until most of the water has been wrung out.  Then (optional) I take a crushed/minced clove of garlic and mix it in with the spinach.

 The daikon and seaweed wraps do not need any preparation unless you buy the daikon that has not been pre-sliced, and then, you got it, just slice it into strips!

pre-sliced daikon

roasted seaweed sheets

Once everything is prepared you're ready to start rolling!  What you'll need to roll them is a bamboo rolling mat.  You can find that, along with the seaweed, daikon, and sticky rice at your local oriental grocery store.  You might be able to find the roller, the rice, and/or the seaweed at your grocery store depending on how good the asian section is, but the daikon will most likely send you to the oriental store anyways.

I like to set up a rolling station that is organized so I'm not running all over the kitchen for each roll.  Not pictured is also a source of water.  I usually use my little tea cups for a little water.  It helps with sealing the rolls after they've been rolled.

Now the tricky part.  Lay a piece of seaweed on your bamboo mat.  Spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed, leaving a half inch gap at the far end.  About 2 inches from your side of the seaweed square is where you will line up your ingredients.  Then you will use the mat and your fingers to roll the piece into a tight roll.  Dip your fingers in the water and use to help seal the edge of the seaweed to the roll.  I failed at taking pictures of this process because my hands were busy, but I found a couple pictures and a video (here) online that might help.  They aren't exactly what I do, but are very close.

Example of how to lay our your ingredients (found on google images)

Once you have your kimbap tightly rolled, you can use a sharp non-serrated knife to slice it into pieces.  Optional: If you decide it needs a little more flavor you can dip in soy sauce or sriracha.

Here's the breakdown of ingredients I used for 7 rolls. (I actually ended up making 13, which is why most of these are halved.  There were 3 of us eating them for 2 days and we still didn't finish them, so I would suggest starting small).

Kimbap Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- half a carrot
- half a can of spam
- half a package of daikon
- approx. 3 cups raw spinach
- 1 garlic clove
- sesame oil (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- 7 squares of roasted seaweed (this is cheap.. one 50 piece package cost me about $5.00)
- 3 cups raw sticky rice, cooked

While you munch on the delicious kimbap you've prepared, you can put another pot of rice on, and pull your marinating beef out of the fridge. 

I cook my bulgogi in a wok over medium-high heat in batches, rinsing wok quickly between each batch.  After it's all cooked, you can eat it on the side of the rice, over top of the rice, or take the traditional route (or what we were taught by a Korean friend).  Our friend showed us that when served with romaine lettuce leaves, you should take a piece of lettuce, put on some rice, add some bulgogi, roll it up, and eat it in one bite!  For this reason I like to tear my lettuce up a bit to make it more manageable so I don't look like a chipmunk.

You can eat the bulgogi any way you want, and when you smell it, you'll have to fight the urge to just eat it straight out of the pan!

Both of these Korean dishes wouldn't be legit without a side of kimchi (seen in the first picture on the left).  I don't make this, and usually only buy small batches when I go to the oriental grocery store.  If you're not familiar with it, it's spicy fermented cabbage that Koreans eat every day, sometimes 3 times a day... but be warned, it is notoriously pungent. 

Enjoy your Korean feast!  Leave me a comment if you try this recipe or if you have any questions.

Bon Appetit!

or in Korean:

잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokkesseumnida)