Bulgogi
Bulgogi is one of Korea’s most iconic dishes—sweet, savory, and deeply satisfying, it’s a must-try for any Korean food lover.
If you’ve ever had Korean food—or if you’re already a fan—you’ve probably tried Bulgogi at least once. Traditionally made with beef (though pork is also common), the flavor comes from a delicious mix of soy sauce, garlic, fruity sweetness, and sesame oil.
📺 Watch How to Make This Beef Bulgogi
It’s a true crowd-pleaser, which is why I always make bulgogi when introducing Korean food to someone for the first time.
Alright, let’s get started—time to whip up the marinade and prep the veggies!
Slice the onion and mince the garlic.
For the green onions, slice them in half lengthwise. Take the white to light green part (about the bottom 3/4) and cut into 2-inch pieces. Finely chop the remaining dark green tops.
In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, plum extract, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
If you love authentic Korean cooking, Korean plum extract is absolutely worth investing in.
Made from green plums, it adds a tangy, fruity sweetness that takes your dishes to the next level.
I make them and it lasts for years in my kitchen. You’ll find the best prices at your local Korean grocery store. I highly recommend going for a high-quality brand over cheaper versions, which are often just sugar or corn syrup. A good plum extract should be naturally preserved and even have a subtle carbonation—that’s how you know it’s the real deal.
In Korea, bulgogi is most commonly made with very thinly sliced ribeye. But don’t worry—you can also use beef chuck or skirt steak if that’s what you have on hand.
Just make sure to slice the meat as thinly as possible—the thinner, the better for that signature bulgogi texture and flavor!
Add the beef, half of the sliced onion, minced garlic, and the long-cut green onion pieces to the marinade.
Mix well with your hand and marinate for 30 minutes overnight in a refrigerator.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of cooking oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Add the marinated beef and cook for about 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fully cooked and slightly caramelized.
When the beef is fully cooked and the onions have softened, remove from heat.
You can serve the bulgogi right away on a plate—but if you want to make it a little fancier, heat a small cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining oil and sauté the rest of the sliced onion until slightly softened.
Place bulgogi right on top of the onion.
Garnish with sesame seeds, sesame oil, and the green onion that we chopped earlier.
Serve with warm cooked rice, kimchi, and lettuce wrap if you desire!
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Bulgogi is incredibly versatile and goes well with so many sides and styles of serving. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy it:
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Serve it hot over steamed rice with a side of kimchi—simple and classic.
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Wrap it in lettuce or perilla leaves with a dab of ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce) for a fresh and flavorful bite.
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Use it as a filling for bulgogi gimbap—it adds a delicious twist to the classic roll.
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Top it on a bowl of rice with assorted veggies and an egg for a quick bulgogi bibimbap!
Whether you go simple or fancy, bulgogi always brings comfort and bold flavor to the table.
Print
Beef Bulgogi
- Total Time: 13 mins
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp maesilaek, Korean green plum extract
- 1 tbsp sesame oil, plus more for garnish
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef, such as ribeye, chuck, or skirt steak
- 1 large onion, sliced, divided in half
- 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 green onions, 3/4 from the bottom - cut into halves in lengthwise then cut into 2-inch long pieces. Chopped the rest of the dark green part.
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, plum extract, sesame oil and sesame seeds in a mixing bowl.
- Add beef, half of the onion, garlic, and long strip green onions. Mix well with your hand and marinate for 30 minutes to over night in a refrigerator.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat, add 1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add marinated beef and cook until beef is fully cooked about 7 to 9 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat.
- You can serve this bulgogi right away on a serving plate, but if you want to be a little bit fancy, go ahead and bring a small cast iron pan and heat over medium high heat. add 1/2 tbsp of remaining oil and the rest of the sliced onion. Place bulgogi right on top of the onion and garnish with sesame seeds, sesame oil and the green onion that we chopped earlier.
- Serve with warm cooked rice, kimchi and lettuce wrap if you desire! Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
25 comments
This looks delicious, but I wanted to let you know right below the photo of the meat there is an embarrassing typo where it is supposed to say “beef chuck”.
Is there a substitute for the plum extract?
The plum extract is available on Amazon, but I couldn’t find it in my very large local Asian grocery stoore. However, Plum Sauce was available in my local Asian store, and it works okay as a substitute. Lee Kum Kee brand makes a Plum Sauce that I’ve used because I couldn’t find plum “extract”.
Hi, I am a new subscriber and was reading the recipe and notice you have a typo for chuck steak. I know you would want it fixed!
Love your videos and recipes!
This was our first time eating Bulgogi. It was so delicious! I followed the recipe to the letter, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I used a gorgeous sirloin steak, because it was on sale at work. Thank you!
where’s the video?
Very top of the post!
Love it! Hi I know the recipe says lettuce leaves. What are those green leaves. They look delicious.
I think you are asking about the dark green leaves, and its called Kkat-ip aka wild sesame leaves! these can be found at a Korean grocery store.
Delicious! The first recipe I tried from the website, and I must say it was a great way to start. I think the ribeye that I used was too thick, but otherwise, flavour was on point. Never knew I could eat one full onion on its own. I can’t wait to try more Korean cooking!
I made Bulgogi an Japchae for dinner today. Delicious!
I will try your other recipes too.❤️?
Thank you! Make sure you take a picture and tag me so I can re-share!~
Hello, Love your recipes! Do you have a cookbook with all your recipes that we can purchase?
Good day! May i know the substitute for the green plum extract?
You can use apricot jam if you cannot find any green plum extract. Hope this helped (:
What is mirin ?
Ordered the plum extract for this dish because I made other bulgogi version before and didn’t taste like it. Just cooked this recipe today and loves it!!! Taste just like what I had in Korean restaurants. Thank you so much for the recipe!!! It is legit and yummy.
Thank you so much for trying out my recipe!
I made this dish and it is absolutely delicious. I will make again.
What kind of sugar do you use and soy sauce?
I used Korean brand soy sauce and raw sugar I believe.
My first Korean recipe to try after much research and I LOVE it! I too ordered the Korean plum extract after trying apricot jam. Good investment.
This recipe is a crowd pleaser. Every time I make bulgogi I use this recipe and it’s AMAZING. Will never use another recipe
I made your recipe. When I put the beef in the pan, it release so juice released from the sauce and the meat so it didn’t really start an frying until 5 mi. Later. Is that normal?
Yes, this is normal. One way to have the juices evaporate faster is to not crowd the skillet or wok. Or, you can also use a larger pan if you have one.