A Deliciously Tasty Bulgogi Soup Recipe
One of the most popular Korean dishes found across the world is bulgogi. This dish has a long history in Korea and is ultimately a bothy soup based on cooked meat, noodles, and the vegetables of your choice. Each Korean restaurant has its own inspiration but is built upon the same standard foundation. The recipe below will make a tasty bulgogi soup recipe, but it is also available for substitutions to suit your family and friends’ preferences when serving the dish.
The Origin of the Bulgogi Soup Recipe
Nearly 2000 years ago, during the Goguryeo era, the addition of cooked skewered meats became popular in Korean homes. They were inexpensive to make and easy to cook over an open flame. This coined the name “bulgogi,” which has a direct translation of fire meat. Over the next few hundred years, the dish would soon be added to a broth after being soaked in cold water and served in a soup style.
During this transition, the bulgogi meat would be first cooked on the skewer, then sliced into thin strips and added to the broth to maximize the dish so that more family members could enjoy the dish. The Korean households realized they could soon add noodles or rice to make it a hearty dish.
Making Beef the Star
The 19th century and onward saw an increase in beef in Korea, and it quickly became the star meat for the bulgogi soup recipe. As Koreans fought for independence during this time, they used the bulgogi dish to stretch their meals and money. Like meatloaf in America, bulgogi became a quick household staple in Korea.It became more than just meat, and more a soup to be a complete dish.
As Koreans escaped to America to seek refuge, they found that beef was still easy to get and cheap, making it easy to bring the recipe with them. As a new favorite, Bulgogi quickly passed through Korean households in the United States. Today you will find this popular dish in every Korean restaurant, and still made in Korean homes as a weeknight staple.
Ingredients for Your Bulgogi Soup Recipe
Maybe you h ave enjoyed bulgogi in just its meat form, but not in soup form, or maybe you are already a fan of bulgogi soup. Either way, the ingredients below are essential for you to make the best bulgogi soup recipe tat will quickly become a staple in your own home.
- Beef strips
- Soy sauce (1/3 cup)
- Sherry (1 tablespoon)
- Sugar (1 and 1/2 tablespoons)
- Dark Sesame Oil (1 tablespoon)
- Noodles ( 1 cup)
- Mushrooms (1/2 cup)
- One large carrot
- Beef Stock (4 cups)
- Trimmed green onions for garnish
These ingredients are essential to a full-on bulgogi soup recipe. You can make some substitutions to meet your dietary needs, however. The preferred beef is ribeye, but cheaper cuts will also do if that is all you can find at the local market or if the ribeye is outside of your budget for this week.
If you are not a fan of beef, you can use thinly sliced chicken or pork and move forward with the soup. Lower sodium soy sauce options are preferred, and there isn’t a particular brand that you need to include in your shopping list. If you do not have Sherry available or choose not to use wine, any colored cooking wine will work, or you can omit it altogether.
The noodles you use are at your discretion, but the best way to hold up to the high broth contents is either sweet potato noodles or cellophane. Average noodles will start to break down in bulgogi, so you must look in the market’s international section.
Preparing your Bulgogi Soup Recipe
Now that you have your ingredients gathered, it is time to begin making the bulgogi soup recipe.
1. Prepare the Meat and Vegetables
You first want to slice your beef or other meat if you choose to substitute. These slices must be small and thin and then placed in a bowl to the side. Marinate the beef in your soy sauce, sherry, sugar, dark sesame oil, and other seasonings for at least an hour.
While your meat is marinating, you need to prepare your vegetables. Slice your mushrooms first into small slices and sit aside. Move on to your large carrot, also cutting it into thin slices. If you add any additional veggies, such as onions, now will be the time to prepare them and put them all back in the fridge.
2. Soak Your Noodles
Put your noodles in cold water for at least 30 minutes and cut them back into halves or thirds. This will not make them tender, but instead, pull out some of the starch to absorb the bulgogi’s flavor.
3. Stir-Fry Your Meat
After marinating the meat, it is time to cook in a wok or Dutch oven. The Dutch oven is great for cutting back on dishes, but if you want a more significant sear on the meat, you can do the Wok first and then add it to the oven.
4. Build Your Soup
Once the meat has finished cooking and it is in the Dutch oven, it is time to build your soup. Add the noodles first over the marinated meat and then the beef stock. Your Dutch oven should be on high heat and will come to a boil in just a few minutes.
Once it begins to boil, it is time to add the veggies you cut up earlier to the soup, all except for the green onions. They come later.
5. Simmer and Serve
Once you have added the veggies, you can reduce the soup to low heat or simmer. You only need five to ten minutes to cook the veggies and soften the noodles. After a quick stir, salt and pepper the bulgogi before serving. Once you have plated the soup, add the trimmed green onions to the top and serve.
