blue artichoke

I've never been curious about Korean food, never had the hankerin' for kimchi and probably would never go out of my way to track down a Korean restaurant. Maybe it just seems too foreign, or maybe I've heard too many jokes about being served dog. I haven't amassed a bevy of Korean recipes in my collection, so I had to go looking for a recipe. My first stop was the international cookbook I mentioned previously. There were several, and none showcased dog as the main ingredient. I picked Bul-Ko-Kee (aka Bul-Go-Gee), a basic Korean food. It was a good introduction to Korean food, because I liked it very much. Not only was it super simple and fast, but it had familiar flavors and was easy to eat.

Bul-Ko-Kee

International Cooking: Recipes from the International Women of Riyadh Saudi Arabia

1 ½ kilo beef, sliced very thin, 1” long (1 kilo - 2.2#)
½ c. soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
1 t. sesame seed
4 T. sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
¼ t. pepper

Place ingredients in med-sized mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate 4 hours to overnight.

When ready to cook, place in frying pan and cook at medium heat until meat has reached desired doneness. When meat is done, the other ingredients are also done.

Serve on a plate along with rice.

Serves 4.

I used a 3/4" thick 1-1/2# steak, essentially halving the meat amount, but left the rest of the ingredients the same. The mixture was a bit saucy, but the rice soaked up the liquid. Perfect! I used baby carrots, quartered lengthwise, and an onion cut in thick slices.

I also made a dessert called Sal-Bak-Song, which is pretty much Rice Krispies balls, except that my liquid mixture wasn't enough to make the cereal sticky enough to form into a ball. This was really messy to make; I'm still finding Rice Krispies stuck to various surfaces in my kitchen. I went out this morning to buy a bag of mini marshmallows to try to salvage the dessert by making it into Rice Krispies treats.

Sal-Bak-Song (Rice Cookie)

International Cooking: Recipes from the International Women of Riyadh Saudi Arabia

1 box rice crispies cereal
½ c. honey
1 c. sugar
¼ c. water
1 c. Spanish peanuts

Combine sugar and water; heat until sugar melts. Allow to stand until slightly cooled, then mix all other ingredients into the sugar water.

Roll mixture into balls and let cool.

Despite the textural difficulties of the dessert, it tasted fine. Both of these dishes make me more inclined to try Korean food again, though I don't know that I'm ready for kimchi. Fermented cabbage? Ugh.

Getting to Know All About You: How often do you eat dessert?

Update: I tried to look up information on the bul-ko-kee before I wrote the post, but because of the odd spelling of my recipe, I couldn't find anything. With the more traditional spelling, bulgogi (offered in the comments by Red Meat), I've been able to find out more information. For starters, it means "fire meat" in Korean and is the stuff of Korean barbecue, considered by foreigners to be the national dish of Korea. It is traditionally grilled, but broiling and pan-cooking are also common. Garlic, onions and green peppers are often cooked alongside the meat, then served together with lettuce and other side dishes. No mention of a fried egg, though kimchi is often a common accompaniment.