About Thomas The Kitchen Tornado: If you shop at Mollie Stone’s Greenbrae, you might know me. Yes, I’m the checker that is always sharing recipes and kitchen tips. I love to cook, but I also like to keep it simple. Make eating fun!
Most of my customers know I have traveled the world and spent time in kitchens watching the locals cooking using ancient techniques. I have seen some doozies. And some of the imaginative utensils that were created just for certain foods were brilliant. An example is the tofu fork. Ever try to fork a piece of tofu? It’s about as easy as running the Dipsea Race. While I was in Japan, I noticed a curious trident shaped fork made of bamboo. It was fairly small. I was dining at a Tofu Restaurant and they had a bowl of cubed tofu, with several different dipping sauces around it. I anticipated the challenge. Never being one to give up, I took the fork and attacked it like I knew what I was doing. Because of the texture and the prongs, it held nicely. The interesting thing is, the only place I’ve ever seen one outside of Japan Center in San Francisco is in my Mollie Stone’s.
So, here we go. I have a real easy way for you to enjoy BBQ any time of year and even if you don’t have a BBQ – your broiler or stovetop grill will be fine. Keep reading for my adventure with flavor in a Korean BBQ Beef Bulgolgi recipe.
THOMAS’ EASY KOREAN BBQ BEEF BULGOGI & MARINADE
Recipe by Thomas The Kitchen Tornado
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs of Hanger Steak (Also known as Butcher’s Steak. Flank Steak will work but will not be as tender as fast.)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce (Is there a difference between this and Chinese soy sauce? Yes.)
- 4 scallions (green onions), chopped
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger (I’m lazy, I run the garlic and ginger through a good garlic press.)
- 2 tablespoons of raw sesame seeds
- 4 drops of sesame oil (optional)
- 2 tablespoons of Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine water, soy sauce, sriracha, black pepper and sugar until dissolved. Add green onion, garlic and ginger to the liquid.
In a sauce pan, place the sesame seeds with the 4 drops of oil. You may use what is available, but I prefer sesame oil. When the seeds are walnut brown, remove them immediately from the heat as they cook fast at this point. Take out half the seeds and add them to the marinade. Crush the other half and also add them to the marinade. Place marinade in a Gallon-size ziploc bag, add the meat and chill it for 4 hours.
When ready to cook, I use a stove top grill to cook until the meat is done to medium. Allow to rest a few minutes, then cut with the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
I usually serve this with Jasmine Scented Rice. I cook the rice with 1/4 cup Quinoa and 3/4 cup Rice in chicken broth. And on the side, mild Kimchi Pickled Cabbage. Make sure your date for the evening eats the Kimchi too, or you might get a handshake at the end of the night – the garlic is prevalent.
WINE PAIRING
Mike H, our incredible Wine Steward in the Greenbrae store, has recommended OZV 2009, Old Zin Vine, from Lodi, California. This Zin will stand up to the spices in this meal. Nice play of berries and a lighter medium body and light tannins. Slightly jammy. It is very delicious for any meal, or just enjoying a glass of red wine. Thai beer is also a nice alternate.
The Kitchen Tornado has struck again. Continue your palate adventures.
