Some of you may not know this, but Zoe and I aren’t a big fan of red meat – whether thats ribs or pork belly or steak. However I do have to say we both make an exception for Korean bulgogi. Bulgogi is a sweet, salty beef dish that is comparable to teriyaki but much more rich and flavorful. Whereas teriyaki is solely sweetened with sugar, bulgogi relies also on fruit sugar to add an extra depth of flavor. It is literally every kids dream meal.

Since we attended an international school, our annual school fair always featured a diverse menu representing the countries where my classmates were from. Every year there would always be a Korean food stall. Despite the fact the there were tons of amazing food including homemade samosas and Thai green curries, Zoe and I would beg my parents for a $20 dollar bill and  sprint down the school parking lot to the Korean stall. With the $20, we would each get a huge styrofoam plate filled with white rice, bulgogi and japchae noodles. Even though the food was cold by the time I had brought it, in my 10 year old mind it was the best thing ever.

Bulgogi always has a special place in our hearts because it brought back a lot of fond memories. My dad made lots of business trips to Korea back then, so he would take our family to spend christmas in Seoul. Korean beef bulgogi was a dish we never miss and my dad always knew the best places to go. Wrapping grilled beef in lettuce, spicy samjjang sauce, green onions is a matchmake in heaven.

Beef Bulgogi was also the first ever meat dish I learnt how to make. We have no Korean ties, but our high school obsession with Kpop and Kdramas made us curious about the Korean culture – especially all the amazing food they eat in the shows. So rather than learning how to make traditional Cantonese dishes of steamed fish, braised chicken, we were only interested in learning how to make bulgogi.

My original version of the recipe came from a Korean blogger’s grandmother. It was honestly an amazing recipe that I would often make for my friends and family.  However, it was still laden with sugar.

Today we are introducing the cleanest, healthiest version that we’ve come up with~ #glutenfree #oilfree and only sweetened with honey! We have added more fruits than the traditional version to add more depth of flavor and natural sweetness. Most traditional recipes require the use of an Asian pear, however since it has been tough to find we discovered a rather genius idea to replace kiwi for Asian pear. Kiwi  is an excellent tenderizer and adds sweetness to provides a similar taste profile to authentic Korean bulgogi.

I promise you won’t notice the difference!

Enjoy this recipe as it is with rice OR you can make it into kimbap (sushi rolls)!!!!

Honey Sweetened Bulgogi (Low Sugar)

 

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Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1 kg Beef Brisket, thinly sliced
• Marinade:
• 2 small apples (243g), peeled and core removed
• 2 green kiwis (204g), peeled
• ½ large onion (114g)
• ½ cup Gluten Free Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• Optional: carrots, onions, scallions

Instructions

1. IF BEEF IS NOT SLICED: freeze overnight, then slice thinly with a chef's knife.
2. Roughly chop apples, kiwis, onions
3. Throw all marinade ingredients in a blender. Blend and adjust to taste accordingly.
4. Pour marinade over the beef. Let it sit for 5 hours or overnight.
5. Heat a non skillet pan. At this point you may add any vegetables. Stir fry until soft.
6. Add in your beef. (Do not overcrowd the pan, the beef cooks very quickly. Remove before frying the next batch.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 8 Calories: 344.8 Fat: 11.5g Carbohydrates: 21.4g Protein: 40g

3.5.3251

LOVE,

Zoe & Mia