Easy, Quick, And Inexpensive Bulgogi

Song:  Fire On High

Group:  ELO

One of the World's great barbecued meats is Bulgogi.

Bulgogi is Korean...

 and it literally means, 'Fire Meat'.

It is not so named because it is spiced fiery hot.

It is so named because it is Korean Barbecue...

as in how it is supposed to be cooked.

Now, rather than cook this dish over open flame...

I pan grilled it...with the...Fire On High.

Never allow cheap Korean restaurants to serve you

Bulgogi which has all sorts of vegetables in the 'dish'.

Bulgogi is just barbecued or pan grilled marinated meat...

which is cooked and served alone...

or with raw leaf lettuce or spinach leaves 

so you may wrap one around the meat as you eat it.

It is NEVER supposed to be cooked as a mishmash of vegetables and very little meat.

Bulgogi is ALL meat.

Again, the name Bulgogi means 'Fire Meat'.

And YES...

I have spent several months in Korea on two separate visits...

and I have eaten in authentic Korean restaurants

in the San Francisco bay area as well (where Korean nationals ate).

I know good Bulgogi.

Why do many 'Korean' restaurants try to serve a vegetable heavy dish...

and try to claim that it is authentic?

Because it is very cheap for them to make it this way...

and then try to claim that it is just another version of it...

as if it were a regional dish in Korea.

Some even try to claim that Americans like it their way.

NO

They are trying to line their pockets with a way to save money

by putting in the very least amount of beef

and filling the dish with vegetables.

The meat is essentially boiled in the vegetable juices...

and IT IS NOT BULGOGI.

I bought this very thinly sliced beef at a local Asian market.

It is about 1 Kilo (2.2 pounds).

You may also go to many grocery stores 

and have them thin slice your choice of meat.

As my mother wasn't feeling well...

I cooked this night's supper

(although she helped in the cleanup).

I also picked up a good Bulgogi marinade (one large container for 2.2 pounds of meat)...

along with some pickled Thai Red Chilis

and chili oil soaked bamboo shoots to eat with the Bulgogi.

My mother already had a kilo of crushed Korean red peppers

(I make the Reno Red Hots with it...among other things).

I held up the meat to show how thinly sliced the beef was.

It is about half the thickness of standard bacon.

Simply separate the slices of beef...

put them into a large mixing bowl...

pour in the marinade...

and add 5-6 teaspoons of the crushed red peppers...

mix them and let set for 10 minutes max.

Grill the meat on high.

As the meat is thin...

it cooks quickly.

The meat is enough to feed a family of five.

This is one serving...

and the batch made 5 servings.

Notice, the only beer we drink is Non-Alcoholic.

I had eaten two servings.

The pickled Thai red peppers were hot...

but they were also very flavorful.

This meal is spicy...

as it is supposed to be.

However...

it is not so spicy as to give you indigestion later on...

or to burn you twice :)

It just made my hair sweat  :)

Eating capsaicin rich foods a few times a week is very healthful.

They are not only rich in vitamins...

they stimulate the immunal and endocrinal systems.

These type of foods rev up your metabolic system...

essentially putting your fire on high.

My mother favored the bamboo shoots.

My mother loved this meal.

You may feed a family of five for less than the cost 

of one or two orders of Bulgogi at a restaurant.

After our delicious meal...

we did our clean up routine.

I washed all the dishes...

while my mother put away the left overs...

wiped down the counters, and the stove and back splash.

It takes but a few minutes...

and we then relax in front of the TV with a cup of coffee.

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Delicious food can be nutritious...

and it does not have to be expensive.

I am...

by no means...

a talented cook.

I hadn't cooked for myself...

or anyone else, before I started cooking for my mother a few months ago...

since I cooked for myself while I was in University.

If I can do this...

most anyone can.

You must eat nutritious food...

if you are to get the most out of life...

including more life  :)

You must make it delicious.

Otherwise...

you simply won't eat it.

Just by knowing the most basic methods of cooking...

and by using creativity in your use of spices and accompaniments...

you may have delicious and nutritious meals with very little cost...

and have much to look forward to everyday.

Delicious food is one of the great simple pleasures in life.