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Korean

Beef bulgogi

Non-vegetarian

불고기 · bulgogi

Thin slices of beef marinated in soy sauce, grated pear, garlic and sesame oil, then seared quickly over high heat until caramelised at the edges.

Beef bulgogi is a Korean main course from South Korea, ready in about 55 minutes and made with beef sirloin steak and soy sauce. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Bulgogi
Representative photo. 국립국어원 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
30 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
288

Ingredients

4 servings

For the marinade

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), grated pear (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), honey (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, sesame oil (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab) in a bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Add the beef, onion (opens in a new tab) and spring onion (opens in a new tab), massage the marinade in and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight).

    • 3 min

    Food safety: Keep marinating meat in the fridge.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or griddle until very hot. Cook the beef in batches in a thin layer, leaving it to sear before tossing, until cooked and caramelised at the edges.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Scatter with sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) and serve with lettuce (opens in a new tab) leaves for wrapping.

      Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
      How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    South Korea · Well documentedA dish of the whole Korean peninsula; modern bulgogi is most widely documented in South Korea.Also popular in United StatesMore food from South Korea
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Grills & kebabs
    Cooking method
    Pan-fried, Marinated / cured, Grilled
    Taste
    sweet & savoury, garlicky, umami, mild
    Diet
    Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Beef sirloin steak · Soy sauce · Pear · Sugar · Honey · Garlic
    Techniques
    Grilling · Searing · Charcoal grilling · Pan-frying · Marinating

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
    • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    288 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 206 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 41%
    • Carbohydrate 21%
    • Fat 38%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy288 kcal140 kcal
    Protein29.7 g14.4 g
    Carbohydrate15.1 g7.3 g
    Net carbohydrate13.7 g6.6 g
    Sugars10.5 g5.1 g
    Added sugars7.4 g3.6 g
    Fibre1.4 g0.7 g
    Fat12.1 g5.9 g
    Saturated fat2.7 g1.3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol75 mg36 mg
    Sodium1007 mg490 mg
    Salt equivalent2.5 g1.2 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    600 mg
    Calcium
    56 mg
    Iron
    2.5 mg
    Magnesium
    47 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    4 µg
    Vitamin C
    5 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.1 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1.4 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    28 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: sesame seeds, lettuce.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Cook in small batches; a crowded pan stews the meat instead of browning it.

    Common mistakes

    • Crowding the pan — the beef stews in its juices instead of caramelising. Cook in batches.
    • Slicing the beef too thick; it needs to be paper-thin.

    Serve with

    • Serve with rice, kimchi and a few namul side dishes.

    Storage

    • Raw marinated beef freezes well for up to 2 months; cooked bulgogi keeps 3 days refrigerated.

    Reheating

    • Reheat quickly in a hot pan.

    Variations

    • Dwaeji bulgogi: Thin pork in a soy marinade, or the spicy chilli version (jeyuk bokkeum).

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Beef sirloin steak, very thinly sliced against the grain500 g
    • Lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried (optional)8 leaf · 80 g
    Used in steps 2, 3, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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