Bulgogi Jeongol (불고기 전골) - Three Dishes in One

It snowed yesterday, and it's raining now. It's dark outside. I love it.

I'm not a Grinch, or I don't think I am. It's more of a fear of spring when my allergies get so bad that I sometimes have a hard time breathing. Besides, you can always brighten up this damp, cold, dark days with a big pot of hearty stew. Better yet, if you have time for it, you can make this bulgogi jeongol into three course dinner and share it with you friends and family. The remaining few winter days - at least in temperature - won't get you down much with this bulgogi jeongol (불고기 전골).

I consider Korean jeongol (전골) somewhere between hot pot and stew. Jeongol has the same flavorful heartiness of a stew, but it's light and refreshing in some ironic way only a hot pot can bring out. Although jeongol itself can be a filling one pot dish, but with a little bit more preparation, you can also enjoy two more dishes that use up every last flavorful bit of the jeongol broth. And when that jeongol features well-marinated bulgogi in the center? Well, you might actually get to appreciate winter in March.

If you want the goodness of bulgogi jeongol before you can gather up all the ingredients and people to share with, come join me at the Brooklyn Kitchen at 6:30PM this Thursday (3/19). We will roll out the noodle dough and prepare bulgogi jeongol together. It's so much easier for me to explain to you the steps and tips to make note of as we prepare the dinner together. And, of course, we'll enjoy what we make with some cold beer. Hope to see you there!

INGREDIENTS:

Bulgogi Hot Pot
1 lb. Rib eye (or flat iron steak for an economical option)

8 Dried shitake mushrooms
8 C Lukewarm water

1/2          Onion, medium-size, peeled and thinly sliced
1              Skinny carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
4 C          Napa cabbage, cut to 1-inch pieces (about 1/4 of a head)
2 C          Edible chrysanthemum (a.k.a. crown daisy or 쑥갓, ssukgat),
                  washed, trimmed and cut to 2 inch length
                  (or substitute with spinach)
1 Bunch Enoki mushrooms, cut to 2-inch length
1/2 C      Perilla leaves, washed, stems trimmed and julienned
4 Stocks Scallion, trimmed and cut to 2-inch length

Bulgogi Marinade
1/2 C          Soy sauce
1              Asian pear, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
1 T          Garlic, peeled and grated (about 5 cloves)
2 t              Ginger, peeled and grated
2 T          Honey
2 T          Toasted sesame oil
TT              Freshly ground black pepper

Knife-cut Noodle Dough (or use store-bought 칼국수, kalguksu noodle)
2 C          All-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
2/3 C          Water
1/2 t          Salt
1 T          Neutral-tasting oil (such as canola or sunflower seed oil)

Kimchi Stir-Fried Rice
1 T          Toasted sesame oil
1 C          Napa cabbage kimchi, well-aged and tart, cut to bite size
2 C          Cooked, cold short-grain white rice (a.k.a. sushi rice)
2 stocks Scallion, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 sheets Nori, toasted directly on stovetop
2 T          Toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Bulgogi Hot Pot

1. Slice beef thinly, similar to the cut of the meat in cheesestake, if not already cut by the butcher. It is easier to cut when the meat is slightly frozen.

2. Place paper towel underneath the beef slices to absorb blood.

3. Make the marinade by combining soy sauce, Asian pear, garlic, ginger, honey and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.

4. Place the beef in a bowl and mix in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour. You can marinate it overnight for better results, but use 1/4 cup of soy sauce instead of 1/2 cup.

5. If making and adding knife-cut noodles, make the noodle dough now. See below for a separate recipe.

6. Soak shitake mushrooms in lukewarm water. When the mushrooms soften, squeeze excess water out and slice thinly. Put the shitake slices back in its soaking water.

7. Arrange onion, carrot, Napa cabbage, edible chrysanthemum, shitake and marinated meat in a pot. Pour 4 cups of the shitake liquid in the pot.

8. Bring the pot up to a boil. Stir in enoki mushrooms and scallions. As soon as everything is cooked, it's done. Remove from heat.

9. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Enjoy!

Noodle Soup
1. Mix flour, salt and 2/3 cup of water and knead to form a dough, scraping and gathering any flour on the side. After about 5 minutes of kneading, if the dough is still a bit flaky, sprinkle water, about a teaspoon at a time and knead to a smooth ball.

2. Add in oil and knead again to form a smooth, shiny dough. Cover with plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

3. Roll out dough to a thin sheet on a flour-dusted surface. Carefully fold and transfer to a cutting board. Cut with a kniife to strands. Lay them out on a flour-dusted plate or a baking sheet so that noodle strands don't stick together.

4. After eating about half of the bulgogi and vegetables, bring up the bulgogi and vegetable broth to a boil. Add the noodles and stir so that they don't stick together. Fresh noodles cook very quickly, about 3 minutes.

5. Ladle noodle soup into individual bowls. Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Kimchi Fried Rice
1. Leave bulgogi broth just enough to cover the bottom of the pot and ladle out the remaining broth. Turn on heat to warm the pot.

2. Drizzle over sesame oil and sauté kimchi. When kimchi turns opaque, add rice and sauté to mix completely. Remove from heat.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning with soy sauce, kimchi juice and/or salt.

4. Garnish with scallion, toasted, crushed nori, sesame seeds and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot. Enjoy!