Korean BBQ

     I love Asian food! I bet you were beginning to think I only eat Italian. I admit that I do eat a lot of Italian. It is my happy place. But I love the flavors of Asian cuisine. They are bright, fresh, and light. Not to mention savory! I have never had much of a sweet tooth but I get some pretty serious cravings for salt. Asian cuisines satisfy my desire for something savory without requiring me to eat an entire bag of potato chips. Growing up in the middle-of-nowhere the Asian options were limited. We had a Chinese restaurant we enjoyed but that was the extent of my experience with Asian cuisine. That is until my second year of culinary school. Sophomore year at Johnson & Wales University provides a lab called International Cuisine and that is where I was introduced to Korean barbecue. We have been close ever since. I was thrilled to have the forethought to make it earlier this week (it takes a long time to marinate so I had to think about it the night before) and it was everything I had hoped it would be. I want you all to love Korean barbecue as I do and I think this is a good place to start your relationship (or reassess where you stand, if need be). So without further adieu, the recipe.

What You Will Need:

3 large cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Oil (sesame or canola are best)
1 large Onion, 1/2 diced small and 1/2 julienne
4 small Steaks or 1 Flank Steak
1 cup  dry Rice
1 bunch Scallions, chopped

The key to this dish tasting yummy is the marinade. If you do nothing else I tell you, at least do this. You are going to want to make this in a non-metallic bowl. The acid from the soy sauce and the onions could 'burn' off some of the metal and it would end up in your marinade. Not good. Place the 5 ingredients prior to the oil into the bowl and whisk together.

When the first five ingredients are mixed together, SLOWLY pour in the oil while whisking. If you pour the oil in with the other ingredients and then mix, it will separate after a few minutes. Drizzling it as you whisk creates an emulsified (thickened and well blended) marinade. 

The last ingredient in the marinade is the onion. You will need an entire onion but only half will be diced for the marinade. Add the diced portion to the bowl and stir. (The onion is really the most important part of the marinade which is the most important part of the dish!) The other half will be sauteed later on. 

Set the bowl aside. It 's time for the meat! Place the steak(s) on a cutting board and poke with a fork across the entire surface on both sides. This not only tenderizes the meat but also allows for the marinade to get into the center of the steak, giving it more flavor.

Place them in a flat container (something with a lid is best but anything works) and cover with half the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for as long as you can, overnight is best, turning them once or twice. Also refrigerate the unused half of the marinade. That will be used as a sauce for the final product.

When you take them out of the refrigerator the next day you will notice how much darker the steaks are. Remember folks, color equals flavor so this is a very good thing. 

Before you begin cooking the steaks, start the rice.

Place a saute pan over high heat. Because there is oil in the marinade there is no need to add more to the pan. When the pan begins to smoke just a teeny bit, add the steaks and sear on both sides until they are well browned. 

When they are browned, remove from the pan and let them rest on a cutting board. Add the onions to the pan and saute until they start to turn brown. Pour in the reserved marinade and bring to a simmer. 

Meanwhile, slice the steak as thinly as possible. Add to pan with onions and sauce and cook to desired doneness. I like mine medium so I cooked it another 3-5 minutes.

To serve, place rice on the plate and top with a combination of steak and onions. Sprinkle with chopped scallions (also called green onions) and enjoy! 

Sweetened Condensed Version:

3 large cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

1 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Oil (sesame or canola are best)

1 large Onion, 1/2 diced small and 1/2 julienne 

4 small Steaks or 1 Flank Steak

1 cup  dry Rice

1 bunch Scallions, chopped

1. In a non-metallic bowl, combine garlic, sesame seeds, water, soy sauce, and sugar. Slowly whisk in the oil then add the diced onions. Reserve the julienne onions for later cooking.

2. Tenderize the steaks by poking entire surface with a fork. Place in a flat container and cover with half the marinade. Cover and refrigerate the steaks and the unused portion of the marinade. Allow to sit for several hours or overnight. 

3. When ready, begin by cooking the rice. On a separate burner, place a saute pan over high heat. Sear steaks until browned on both sides. Remove from heat and allow to rest, then slice thinly.

4. While the pan is still hot, add the julienne onions. Saute until they begin turning brown. Add the reserved marinade and bring to a simmer. Add the sliced steak and cook to desired doneness.

5. To serve, place rice on plate and cover with a combination of steak and onion. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and enjoy!