Korean Barbecue

Well, it's no secret that one of Jon's and my favorite foods is Korean BBQ.  We are serious junkies for it and while it was easy enough to find in the States, here in Milton Keynes, UK, well, it's not.  We've talked about making it for awhile, but to be truthful, it seemed like a lot of hassle, until now.

Tonight we had our first homemade bulgogi with bancham (side dishes).  It was AMAZING!  It completely satisfied our Korean craving and I got major kudos from Jon and the kids for it, and we had enough left over that we all agreed we will be having it for dinner, again, tomorrow night.

If you get a chance, make this, you will NOT be disappointed!

Bulgogi
1 lb. flank steak thinly sliced
5 T soy sauce
2 1/2 T sugar
1/4 C minced green onion
2 T minced garlic 
2 T sesame seeds.
2 T sesame oil
1/2 tsp black pepper

Put all of the above into a large ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Now, here's where if you were in the restaurant you would be grilling this on the little inset grill on your table, but we don't have that here.  We debated grilling it on the outdoor grill, and may try that in the future, but tonight we just wok'd it.  Serve with a big bowl of white boiled or steamed rice.

Sigeumchi Namul  (Seasoned Spinach)
7oz spinach
4 C boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 minced green onion
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp of sriracha chilli sauce (more if you like it spicier)

Blanch spinach for 2 minutes in boiling water.  Drain and put into an ice bath.  After cooled, squeeze excess water out of the spinach and combine with remaining ingredients.  You can marinate overnight or eat immediately.

Kong Namul (Spicy Soybean Sprouts)
1 can/tin of soybean sprouts (drained)
2 minced garlic cloves
2 minced green onion
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce (more if you like it spicier)

This is a piece of cake...combine all ingredients and chill.

Oi Muchim (Seasoned Cucumber)
1 Cucumber (seeded and sliced if you are going to marinate, just sliced if you're eating immediately)
1/4 C minced green onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red chillies
1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce

Again, another easy one, combine all ingredients and chill.