Tag: bulgogi

Bulgogi – The Costco Way
You loooooooooove bulgogi, but you don’t want to go out to a Korean restaurant. You’re still jonesing for some of that awesome Korean grilled meat, yet you don’t know how to make it at home. Maybe you think prepping bulgogi at home is more difficult than it really is.
Well then, you have a couple of choices. You can go get the prepackaged marinade (such as the ones that CJ Foods carry under their premium Korean food label Bibigo) and some thinly sliced sirloin, or other premium cuts of beef, and just throw them in a zipper bag then let it do its thing for a couple of hours. The other choice is to go to your local Costco Wholesale Warehouse and buy yourself some pre-marinaded bulgogi.
In the San Francisco Bay Area region, there are a handful of Costco Warehouses that offer bulgogi in the meat section. I’ve been meaning to try this out since Costco’s meat is probably the highest quality meat a regular consumer can purchase. The bulgogi is prepared at each location with USDA Choice grade beef, is currently being offered at $4.99/lb. and comes in about a 3-pound batch of marinaded beef in foil containers. That’s some bargain pricing, even for Costco standards. I will reveal, later in the article, why it is offered so dirt cheap.
I also happened to pick up some mushrooms and dangmyeon (Korean starch noodles) earlier in the day, so I decided to cook the bulgogi in a jeongol (Korean hot pot) style. Usually jeongol consists of meat, vegetables, and noodles in some type of broth. So in this case, it’d be marinated beef, dangmyeon, mushrooms, and some good old water as broth. I would actually throw in a handful of baby bok choy or spinach in there but didn’t have any on hand. Don’t forget to soak the dangmyeon in hot water for about 20-30 minutes prior to cooking the beef.
First start by heating up a large frying pan or skillet at high temperature. Then carefully arrange the marinaded beef in the pan. When the meat is starting to cook, push it aside neatly and put the noodles and the mushrooms in the pan. Because I was making dinner for two, I only had to use half of the container, or 1.5 lbs, and the water (broth) ratio was about 1/4 cup. After the water/broth, keep mixing and stirring to avoid any burns. When your beef has achieved the desired level of doneness, plate the dish and garnish with some chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds if you have them.
The best part of cooking the bulgogi in the jeongol style is that the dangmyeon noodles will soak up the essence of the beef, and you can enjoy the bulgogi taste twice in one dish!
And now to the ‘review’ part of this article…
Looking past the ingredients and Costco’s use of some unnatural stuff, such as high fructose corn syrup, the taste of the bulgogi dish is actually really good. One caveat, however – remember the cheap pricing? Yes, it seems that Costco decided to use some of the leftover trimming from the other cuts of beef in this bulgogi, so you will chew on some connective tissue. Although, not to the level that will ruin your dining experience.
Despite the use of sugar AND high fructose corn syrup, the beef is not overly sweet. The texture of the beef is great – it is Costco USDA Choice grade beef after all. If you don’t mind doing the actual cooking, you won’t be missing out on the authentic Korean restaurant taste by having dinner at home.
Now, when it comes to bulgogi, you have to have the mandatory ssam (Korean style lettuce wrap)!
Recently, CJ Foods sent me a sample pack of their new premium line of Korean food called Bibigo. In the package, there was some gochujang (Korean chili paste) and ssamjang (Korean style lettuce wrap paste). Unfortunately, the ssamjang was too sweet and salty for my taste, but the gochujang was pretty good. The texture, consistency, and the heat level were right on the money. The spice level is medium, it’s tamer than Tabasco sauce and comes on smooth. I found it to be the perfect condiment in this application. If you do not know what ssam or ssambap is, it’s just a simple lettuce wrap featuring red leaf lettuce (or green lettuce), some rice, meat, and any or all of the following: sliced raw garlic, grilled onions, sliced chili peppers, gochujang, ssamjang, and or doenjang.
Guys, happy eating!

February 15, 2012
New Bibigo Retail Sauces in Korean Tacos
ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal was approached some time ago by publicists for CJ Foods, the owners of the Bibigo restaurant franchise. CJ Foods is also a subsidiary of CJ Corp., one of South Korea’s largest food manufacturers. They offered free samples of their new line of grocery products.
Note: I have not received any compensation for this review by CJ Foods (or anyone else) other than the samples to try out for this review.
Bibigo began its corporate life last year as a small chain of Korean restaurants fervently trying to reinvent 비빔밥 bibimbap as fast-casual cuisine. The restaurant chain has now spread to Singapore, Beijing and Los Angeles.
Less than a year later, the Bibigo name is branching out into the retail market with sauces, marinades and pre-made Korean foods for grocery stores across the US. A CJ Foods rep told me consumers will start seeing Bibigo on US store shelves in January 2012.
I admit I’m biased toward made-from-scratch Korean foods. My writing and cooking talents—meager as they are—are supposed to inspire people to start their own small gardens and cook their own food from scratch.
Yet even the most eager home cook can’t be on his or her game 24/7. And not all have the time to make every marinade, 반찬 banchan (side dish) and dipping sauce from scratch every day. That’s why I’m trying out these sauces and marinades for myself.
When I cracked open the bottle of Bibigo’s Original 불고기 bulgogi sauce ($4.99 suggested retail price), the Northern California wine connoisseur wannabe in me noticed a combination of soy, sesame, ginger and black pepper on the nose. I found all those ingredients on the label, with black pepper towards the bottom. That was encouraging.
The label on the side of the glass jar has marking suggesting how much marinade to use based on how the amount of meat. One bottle will marinade 5 pounds of meat.
Later, I opened up the Bibigo 쌈장 ssamjang ($4.99 suggested retail price) container. The paste was bright red like 고추장 gochujang yet had a texture more closely resembling 된장 doenjang, which is a Korean fermented soybean paste somewhat similar to miso.
The miso-like texture would certainly be a plus for American audiences who may find the presence of whole soybean chunks in a ssamjang a little unsettling. The Bibigo ssamjang was spicy and salty — but not too salty.
When I combined them in the recipe below, the sweet bulgogi marinade matched well with the spicy, salty ssamjang. Fresh from my garden, the perilla leaves’ mint-like flavor played interference nicely.
This recipe is pretty minimal on purpose. I really wanted to taste the sauces. Beside shallots, consider adding diced bell peppers, black beans or any other vegetable.
I used ground beef because it’s the most common taco filling in the U.S. Yet this marinade should also work well with other cuts of beef as well as lamb, goat or buffalo.
October 11, 2011
Review: Korean Village Wooden Charcoal BBQ House, San Francisco
The restaurant was nearly empty when we sauntered in at 1:45 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. Two men were engaged in an animated conversation in a Chinese language at a table on the opposite side of the restaurant, their words echoing off the walls and the mirror that stretched the length of one side of the restaurant and over the din of the sports color commentators on the big-screen TV.

Because of the name of the restaurant, we ordered broiled 불고기 bulgogi and broiled barbecued chicken (닭구이) from the lunch menu, which bundles the items with 밥 bap (rice), 반찬 banchan (side dishes) and a bowl of soup. Both entrees were $9.99 each.

The banchan were typical Korean restaurant fare: baechu kimchi, lightly pickled cucumbers, marinaded soybean sprouts, marinaded mung bean sprouts, soy sauce–brined jalapeños, and two kinds of daikon kimchi (one was fresh and the other was made from dried daikon). They were tasty but not surprising.

Miyukguk, a simple Korean seaweed soup (Tammy Quackenbush photos)

The surprise for us were the small bowls of 미역국 miyukguk, which is a Korean seaweed soup made with wakame in a simple broth. Of all the soups in Korea’s culinary repertoire, few are more Korean than miyukguk. I have to give the restaurateurs credit for serving such a bold, unusual dish to a couple of non-Koreans, since many non-Koreans are still somewhat squeamish about seaweed in its leafy form.
Korean women recovering from childbirth are served this soup morning, day and night for the first couple of weeks after giving birth. Some Korean women are also compelled by well-meaning relatives to eat lots of it leading up to childbirth, since is it believed to purify the blood and help women with lactation.
The waitress set the bowls down, I looked at my husband and said “Happy Birthday,” though neither of us have a birthday coming. He doesn’t like seaweed in soup or 김밥 kimbap (sushi).
“It’s good for me, right?” he asked me while stirring the leaves and looking skeptically into the bowl. He ended up liking the flavor of the soup.
The service was prompt. The waitress took our order shortly after we sat down and brought the banchan, rice and soup within a few minutes. The bulgogi and grilled chicken arrived a few minutes after that.
The bulgogi was quite dry, and the smoke flavor from the real wood oven was pronounced. We dipped the meat in the miyukguk and wrapped it in moist rice, which helped.
The chicken, however, was moist, the “special house sauce” more obvious than on the bulgogi, and the smokiness more subtle.
Korean Village Wooden Charcoal BBQ House, or Wooden Charcoal BBQ, is located in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond neighborhood at 4609 Geary Blvd.
It is easy to find from Highway 1, commonly known as 19th Avenue, a major north-south thoroughfare on the west side of the city. If you’re traveling north on 19th Avenue (coming north from San Francisco International Airport and San Jose on Interstate 280), turn right on Geary Boulevard. The restaurant will be on your right between 10th and 11th avenues.
Making left turns on a number of streets of San Francisco is difficult. If you are traveling south on Park Presidio (from Napa-Sonoma wine country and the Golden Gate Bridge), you can’t turn left onto Geary. Travel a block south of Geary, turn right onto Anza, turn right at 14th Avenue then turn right a third time, onto Geary
This restaurant is worth the hastle. Parking is available along Geary or side streets.
Geary Boulevard has a string of Korean shops, grocers and restaurants. Wooden Charcoal BBQ is about a block away from longstanding Korean barbecue master Brothers Restaurant and several blocks from the Korean establishments in Japantown.
September 22, 2011
Dwaeji Bulgogi (Grilled Korean Spicy Pork)
There is just something about pork smothered in spicy, sweet sauce, grilled over fire. The combination of fire grilled smokiness, mild pork, and honey-like spicy sauce is irresistible.
Lately, I have been craving dwaeji bulgogi 돼지불고기 (grilled korean spicy pork) ssambap 쌈밥 (lettuce wrap). Sometimes dwaeji bulgogi is called dwaeji bokkeum 돼지볶음, especially when it is pan-fried rather than grilled over fire – but the preparation and marinade is the same for both.
You will need to go to the market – preferably a Korean market – and get a few things:
Great garlicky spicy pork dish for Korean food lovers
June 12, 2011
Tov Tofu, Santa Rosa
Tov Tofu in Santa Rosa opened in late 2010 and is the latest Korean restaurant to open in Sonoma County, a winegrowing region about an hour north of San Francisco. Bear Korean in Cotati opened several years ago, followed by the now shuttered Nha Bee in Santa Rosa and Honey Cuisine in Rohnert Park in 2008.
My husband and I visited Tov Tofu for the first time on Dec. 24 for a late lunch with a couple of our friends and their two children ages 2 and 4. It’s good to invite, cajole, plead or drag your family and friends with you to a new restaurant, so you more can sample more dishes and get a variety of opinions, from the expert Koreaphile to the first-time 한식 hansik (Korean food) diner.
The dipping sauce was beautiful, but it was the pajeon itself that kept the children happy. (Jeff Quackenbush photo)
Our menu included vegetable 판전 pajeon (egg and flour pancakes), 오무라이스 omurice (fried egg omelet over fried rice), 꼬리곰탕 ggori gomtang (oxtail soup), 비빔밥 bibimbap and 냉면 naengmyeon ($9.95). Both the pajeon ($8.50) and the fried egg omelet turned out to be a kid-pleaser.
The waitress brought out salt and pepper shakers to spice up the oxtail soup. (Jeff Quackenbush photo)
The oxtail soup ($12.50) was a mellow and non-spicy option, which ties into its reputation as a health tonic. Some who are not familiar with Korean cuisine might be put off by the milky-white bone broth, but it is full of minerals, including calcium, iron and potassium.
As part of his repeated challenge to K-pop and now Hollywood star Rain, Stephen Colbert said, "I'm all over it like egg on bibimbap." This bibimbap was garnished with strips of scrambled egg. (Jeff Quackenbush photo)
Tov Tofu’s bibimbap ($12.95) was the first such dish I’ve seen that didn’t have a large fried egg placed on top, but I enjoyed the sliced egg omelet homage to the fried egg as well as the pile of kimchi, beef, mushrooms, shredded daikon radish, seaweed (김 kim) and spinach.
A surprising discovery for newcomers to Korean cuisine is 옥수수차 oksusucha (roasted-corn tea), because corn often is not thought of as a tea ingredient. I’ve found that it has to be requested at a number of Korean restaurants I’ve visited in the U.S., rather than being automatically served as green tea is at Chinese restaurants. The hint of corn in a hot beverage is a welcome way to warm the insides while waiting for the food to arrive.
We went back to Tov Tofu on my birthday. This time, my stomach drew me toward the Korean cuisine stalwart 불고기 bulgogi. Tov Tofu’s version was served in typical fashion, layered on a bed of onions and sizzling on a hot iron plate.
Bulgogi and its grilled onion bedding. (Tammy Quackenbush photo)
The savory side of bulgogi was more prominent in this interpretation than the characteristic sweetness, which is usually imparted by a Korean pear-forward marinade. Yet the grilled onions added a little sweetness and were just as tasty as the bulgogi itself.
My husband ordered the beef version of 김치 순두부 찌개 kimchi soondubu jjigae (kimchi stew with silken tofu) ($9.95). Those who may be averse to kimchi may want to give kimchi jjigae a try, because cooking gives kimchi tames the tang. Also, the tofu soothes the fire of this spicy dish. The broth had a slight fishy flavor, which likely came from either a fish broth or the fish paste used in many versions of kimchi.
Tov Tofu
1169 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa, Calif.
www.tovtofu.com
Hours: Six days a week and closed Mondays. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner, 5 to 9 p.m.
Customer reviews: Yelp pages 1 and 2
Maps (Bangkok Villa closed at that location in July 2010): Bing, Google, Yahoo
February 11, 2011
New culinary classes in the USA carry Korean cuisine to the masses
Sur La Table will be offering a class in Korean restaurant classics which will include pajun (mung bean pancakes) in their menu.
Demand for Korean cooking classes in culinary schools or Korean ingredients on grocery stores shelves is a visible sign a cuisine is becoming more popular in a particular country.
For example, Chef Young-sun Lee teaches classes in Korean cuisine at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and Seattle-based higher-end culinary supply chain Sur La Table in January 2011 will be offering a class called Korean Restaurant Favorites.
The South Korean government has been working hard to promote the country’s cuisine all over the world. Korean English-language media have been fawning over demonstrations by foreign top executives of how to make 잡채 japchae (garlicy zesty cellophane noodles) or 불고기 bulgogi (savory pear-sweetened beef).
However, the future of Korean food in the States and elsewhere does not reside in Seoul’s Blue House or in the hands of Korea’s highly trained chefs, cooking up fancy meals in their five-star restaurants. Culinary schools across the U.S. are starting to cater to home cooks and wannabe chefs clamoring to learn the basics of Korean cuisine.
Sur La Table’s upcoming “hands-on” Korean cooking course will be offered among the core classes at all 23 of the chain’s cooking-class locations in 14 states. Sur La Table offers classes in cities such as Houston; Salt Lake City; Troy, Mich.; Seattle; San Francisco; and Portland, Ore.
Sur La Table, just like other culinary schools, offer classes that factor in the seasons and availability of ingredients, such as offering barbecue and outdoor entertaining classes in the summer and courses on stewing and braising in the winter, according to Anne Haerle, Sur La Table’s corporate chef.
Chef Anne Haerle, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (2008) is the corporate chef/corporate chef of Sur La Table's cooking curriculum which is implemented across the United States.
“We want to offer a range of classes that include a number of different cuisines, cooking and baking techniques, and types of menus,” she said.
Haerle said the company floated this Korean cuisine trial balloon, in part, because of the popularity of other Asian cuisine classes.
“We’ve had great success offering classes in Chinese, Japanese and Thai cooking,” she said.
“We chose to add the Korean Restaurant Favorites class in an effort to continue expanding our Asian cuisine class offerings.”
Korean Restaurant Favorites is not the only class offered this year with a Korean component. The multi-course menu includes America’s Food Truck Cuisine, “designed to address the growing interest in food trucks,” Haerle said.
A spicy Korean barbecued pork taco, inspired by Kogi of Los Angeles, is one of the dishes on that class menu.
The following interview focuses on the Korean Restaurant Favorites class, Haerle’s take on Korean cuisine and its growing popularity in the U.S.
How did you choose the items to include in the course menu (such as 비빔밥 bibimbap, bulgogi and 파전 pajeon)?
We looked at various source materials for classic Korean dishes that one would typically find in a Korean restaurant. I also personally enjoy eating and making Korean food, so I focused on dishes that I like and believe our customers would like to learn how to make, as well as dishes that can easily be made in a home kitchen.
Does the inclusion of Korean cuisine have anything to do with recent restaurant surveys which indicate Korean food is becoming a trend-setting cuisine?
… We pay close attention to food trends that affect the culinary industry at large. Korean food has indeed been mentioned by several media sources as a cuisine that more Americans are discovering. We first listen to our customers and find out what they want to learn, and then take larger trends into consideration.
How does Korean cuisine differ from others in Asia in ease or difficulty in execution?
Many of the basic cooking techniques featured in Korean cuisine, such as grilling, stir-frying and pickling, are very common in other Asian cuisines, and Western cuisines, for that matter. As with cooking any cuisine, the challenge lies in properly balancing the main flavoring ingredients to create a harmonious balance. Korean food is really no different in that respect.
What is the difference between Korean cuisine and those of nearby countries?
One main difference between Korean cuisine and other Asian cuisines is that the flavors of Korean cuisine tend to be more pungent and intense. For example, many Korean dishes feature red pepper flakes, which supply a lot of heat. Also, the structure of Korean meals, with the numerous side dishes and condiments, is different from other Asian cuisines.
What do you find challenging about making Korean cuisine?
I think a big challenge for many cooks who want to make Korean cuisine is finding the appropriate ingredients. In Seattle, we’re fortunate to have several resources for authentic Korean ingredients. People living in other locations may need to rely on the Internet for buying certain items. Also, people who have not used these ingredients may find working with them to be a challenge. That’s why we are offering a Korean cooking class on our calendar — to help people appreciate this great cuisine and feel confident about making it at home.
December 26, 2010
Two versions of Korean tacos
Posted by Tammy
Since 2010 seems to be the year of the Korean taco truck, I decided to bring this popular Korean fusion food to you. I’m serving up a So-Cal vs. Nor-Cal face off between two very different versions.
California is Korean fusion cooking central, in a manner of speaking. According to the 2007 U.S. Census, more than 322,628 native Koreans make California their home. It has the largest number of Korean immigrants of any in the U.S., even Hawaii.
Kogi-style* Korean Tacos
First off the grill is a version inspired by Roy Choi’s famous Kogi taco truck. The Kogi Korean taco was born in Southern California, with a strong Hispanic influence. A warm corn tortilla is topped with bulgogi (savory-sweet grilled beef), shredded cabbage and the spiciest kimchi you can find.
The key to this recipe is the bulgogi marinade.
1 pound thinly sliced milanesa beef sliced into thin strips
4 ounces pear juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
1 tablespoon honey or mul yoot (Korean malt syrup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Mix with the beef and marinade for at least a half-hour. The longer the better.
2. Grill the bulgogi in a cast iron skillet until it is well done.
3. Place one warmed corn tortilla on the plate with a small handful of shredded cabbage. Top with bulgogi and kimchi. This recipe will serve four.
Namu-style Korean Tacos
Another Korean taco style hails from San Francisco, which has over 150 years of Chinese, Japanese and Korean immigrant history going back to the earliest days of statehood. Many of the leaders of Korea’s independence movement used San Francisco as their base of operations during the Japanese occupation.
The Namu-style Korean taco is a nori — kim, in Korean — “taco shell” with a bit of sushi rice, bulgogi or boneless kalbi (grilled ribs) and kimchi on top. It’s more of an appetizer than a meal, but it packs a lot of flavor. For the seaweed used for the “shell,” I used Annie Chun’s Roasted Seaweed Snacks, which I found during my futile search for locally sourced gochujang sauce. I have both the wasabi- and sesame flavored-wraps and used one of each for these tacos.
Asian grocery stores sell small sheets of kim. Koreans often wrap them around a small bite of rice and pop the package into their mouths, eat the seaweed sheets by themselves or cut them into small strips to sprinkle on bibimbap (mixture of ingredients such as vegetables, meat and an egg with rice).
1 pound carne de taco beef marinaded in bulgogi marinade for at least a half-hour
2 nori sheets per taco
sushi rice
diced tomatoes
The most complicated part of this recipe is the sushi rice. Here are the basics.
2 cups Japanese short-grained white rice or Calrose short-grain rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar (no substitutions)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sugar or add more to taste
1. Heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil the mixture. You can also microwave the mixture for 30-45 seconds to achieve the same result. Leave sitting off heat until needed. You can make this portion ahead of time.
2. Take 2 cups of rice and rinse two to three times until the water runs clear or nearly so.
3. If your rice cooker has a sushi rice setting, use it. Otherwise, remember you need equal parts of rice to water. For example, 2 cups of rice needs 2 cups of water. Keep covered until the rice is done.
4. Once the rice has finished cooking, take off the lid and let the rice cool down for about 15 minutes.
5. Once the rice is cooled down, add the vinegar seasoning mix to the rice.
6. Turn the rice out of the pot and into a nonreactive glass or wooden bowl (tradition dictates a wooden bowl to better absorb the excess liquid). Use a tool like a shamoji, which is a flat Japanese rice paddle.
7. Use a gentle chopping motion to spread out the grains of rice and ensure the seasoning covers every grain. To speed up the cooling process, some people use a hand-held fan to help in the cooling process, but I didn’t find that necessary.
8. Once it’s cooled off, you’re ready to grill your bulgogi and assemble your tacos.
9. Put two sheets of nori on the plate, one on top of the other. Add up to a few tablespoons of sushi rice on top of the nori.
10. Pile a couple of tablespoons of bulgogi and garnish with diced tomatoes
Which version do you prefer? Tell us in the comments below.
* Kogi style tacos are in no way affiliated with the Kogi Taco Truck, just inspired by it.
July 17, 2010
Kogi: The Korean Taco Truck
WangKon936 at The Marmot’s Hole has revealed that a wish has become reality. Galbi tacos exist and are popular–and they’re sold from a truck. It’s run by a Korean-American Culinary Institute of America graduate, and they have a web site. I’ve noticed that a good handful of CIA graduates open food trucks.
Two years ago, blogger eatdrinkbmerry pined in la.foodblogging for the existence of a bulgogi taco truck and even made a photoshop of his dream.
A commenter on the Hole made the racially charged statement that only Korean-Americans can make good Korean fusion food. Obviously I disagree, considering I have making Bulgogi Burritos (ugly pics) and Kimchi Quesadillas since my first year in Korea. Oh, and I’m not Korean-American. Eun Jeong is Korean-Korean, and she came up with the Korean Sloppy Joe recipe that is a hit on recipe sites.
It’s not the blood. It’s the attitude.
And as for the Southerner the commenter mentions who smothered Korean BBQ with sauce–where I come from in Alabama, heavy sauce is used to disguise bad BBQ. That dude wouldn’ta flown far in Alabama either.
January 8, 2009