Beef Bulgogi with a Pear Marinade
Sweet, savoury and quick-seared
Bulgogi means “fire meat”, and the appeal lies in that fast caramelised char against a sweet-savoury marinade. The twist here is grated pear, a quietly traditional touch that tenderises the beef and lends a clean, fruity sweetness no amount of sugar can match. Thinly sliced and seared hard in batches, the meat turns glossy and deeply flavoured in minutes. Pile it onto rice or wrap it in cool lettuce leaves.
Beef Bulgogi with a Pear Marinade
Ingredients
- 600g beef sirloin or rib-eye, very thinly sliced
- ½ ripe Korean or Conference pear, peeled and grated
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 3 spring onions, sliced, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp mirin
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, for cooking
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- Steamed rice, to serve
- Lettuce leaves, to serve
Method
- If the beef is not pre-sliced, firm it in the freezer for 30 minutes, then slice as thinly as possible across the grain.
- In a bowl, mix the grated pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, spring onions, mirin and black pepper.
- Add the beef and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours in the fridge.
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over a high heat until almost smoking, then add the neutral oil.
- Lift the beef from the marinade, letting excess drip away, and add to the pan in a single layer, working in batches so it sears rather than stews.
- Cook each batch for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until caramelised at the edges and just cooked through.
- Return all the beef to the pan, pour in any remaining marinade and let it bubble and glaze the meat for 1 minute.
- Scatter with sesame seeds and extra spring onion and serve with steamed rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping.
3 The Story
Bulgogi is one of Korea’s best-loved dishes, a marinated, grilled beef that traces its lineage back through centuries of Korean cooking. Its ancestor is often said to be maekjeok, a skewered, seasoned meat from the era of the early Korean kingdoms, which over time evolved into the thinly sliced, sweet-savoury bulgogi recognised today. The name itself is plain and evocative, combining the words for fire and meat, a reminder that this began as something cooked quickly over flame.
The marinade is where the character lives. Soy sauce supplies salt and depth, sesame oil brings its unmistakable toasted aroma, and garlic and ginger lend warmth. Sugar adds the gentle sweetness that helps the meat caramelise. The thinness of the cut is essential: bulgogi is meant to be tender almost to the point of melting, which is why home cooks freeze the beef briefly to slice it wafer-thin and always cut across the grain.
The grated pear is the detail that elevates the whole thing, and it is far from a modern gimmick. Asian pear has long been used in Korean kitchens to tenderise beef, because it contains enzymes that gently break down the proteins in the meat, leaving it softer and more succulent. The pear also carries a delicate, almost floral sweetness that feels cleaner than sugar alone. Where a ripe Korean pear is hard to find, a Conference or other firm dessert pear stands in well, doing much the same work.
Cooking bulgogi well is mostly about heat and patience in equal measure. A pan that is genuinely hot and beef added in modest batches will sear and caramelise; an overcrowded pan releases liquid and steams the meat into something grey. Letting the last splash of marinade reduce to a glaze at the end pulls everything together into a sticky, savoury finish.
Traditionally bulgogi is enjoyed in ssam, the Korean practice of wrapping a bite of meat and rice in a lettuce or perilla leaf, often with a smear of fermented bean paste and a sliver of garlic. That hands-on, build-your-own style suits a relaxed table, and the cool crunch of the lettuce is a perfect foil to the rich, sweet beef.
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