How to Cook Beef Bulgogi Wraps

Serves: 2-3

Preparation time: 10 mins + 12 hours (inactive)

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients needed to make beef bulgogi wraps:

To make the bulgogi sauce:

• 1 Asian pear or two regular pears
• 1 large apple
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 300 ml soy sauce

For the beef:

• 350 gm, cut into 3 mm thick strips
• 3 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• ½ onion, sliced
• 5 tbsp prepared bulgogi sauce
• 1 tbsp honey

For the wrap:

• 1 cup cooked sticky rice
• Handful of fresh lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
• Ssamjang, as required (recipe below)

For the ssamjang:

• 1/3 cup soybean paste
• ¼ cup red pepper paste
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ red onion, minced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Water, if needed

Cooking instructions for beef bulgogi wraps:

• To make the bulgogi sauce, chop the fruits roughly into irregular shaped chunks and add them to a blender.
• Add rest of the ingredients for the sauce into the blender and pulse them into a smooth puree.
• Transfer it to an air-tight container, seal and store it in the refrigerator until required. This sauce can be used to marinate meat as well as veggies and can be stored for as long as several weeks.
• To make the ssamjang, whisk all its ingredients in a small bowl into a smooth mixture and seal them in an airtight container.
• Toss the onion, carrot slices and mushrooms together in a bowl and add the beef slices.
• Pour in 5 tbsp of the  prepared sauce and toss again until it coats every ingredient in the bowl, properly.
• Transfer them to a resealable plastic bag or Ziploc bag and leave them in the refrigerator overnight to marinate. If you are in a hurry, cut the marination time short to at least half an hour.
• Drizzle some oil in a pan and heat it over moderate flame.
• Empty the contents of the bag into the hot oil, along with the marinade and saute for about 5-10 minutes, or until the meat browns, while stirring at times.
• Continue to saute the mixture for another 5 minutes or until the veggies soften and remove from heat.
• Spread the lettuce across a working surface and place a heaping tbsp of the cooked rice at the middle.
• Top it up with the stir-fried beef and add a tsp of the ssamjang over it.
• Wrap the open ends of the lettuce around the filling and secure with a toothpick.
• Make rest of the wraps in a similar manner and serve with Asian dipping sauce.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons