Flank Steak Bulgogi

I know,  I know.  Bulgogi is not supposed to be made with flank steak. It should be thin slices of ribeye.  Using flank steak in bulgogi is like the foodie thing to do ... take something traditional and try to do something different with it.  But, in my defense, my beautiful Angel bought me five pounds of flank steak and I had to do something with it.  Something different.  Something bulgogi.

I am not going to get into the history of bulgogi, because that is for another post (like one in which I actually use thin slices of ribeye).  What I will say is that I was looking to make a creative dish, because I intended to use some (and eventually used all) of the flank steak for a dinner for my parents.  I wanted a dish that they would remember.

But, I have to admit, it was not just about making a great meal for my parents.  I really wanted to try bulgogi.  I never have had it (and, despite my effort, I will say I still have never had it).  A nice bulgogi dinner at a Korean BBQ joint is definitely on my to-do list.  And it has been on that list for a very, very, very long time.

So, with five to six pounds of flank steak (which, if you didn't know, is about 1/3 of the flank steak from your average cow), I decided to do a hackneyed idiom and kill two birds with one stone: satisfy my desire to try bulgogi and make a memorable meal for my parents. I scoured the internet for a bulgogi recipe that utilizes flank steak and, surprise, there were a few.  I picked the one that I liked the most, which was from the blog or website of Korean Bapsang, "a Korean Mom's Home Cooking."   The interesting twist to this recipe is the use of pineapple juice.  That is an ingredient that I would not have expected with South Korean cuisine.  Pineapples, not sea pineapples (that is a completely different post for probably a different blog - cue, Andrew Zimmern).   But, I digress ...

The rationale behind using the pineapple juice is to tenderize the flank steak.  As it turns out, pineapple contains an enzyme bromelain, which is used to tenderize meat.  That enzyme is found in fresh pineapple, but not canned pineapple because the canning process damages and destroys the enzyme.  Don't bottle with powdered pineapple (does that actually exist?) or bottled pineapple juice. The recipe calls for a can of pineapple, which runs counter to what I just wrote.  But, if you can get an actual pineapple, and you can juice the hell out of it, use that juice to marinate the beef.

In the end, this is a great recipe if you want a quick way to make bulgogi without adhering to the traditional expectations of the dish and you want to cut a few corners in order to feed your family now rather than in several hours.  It is definitely worth it.

FLANK STEAK BULGOGI

Recipe from Korean Babsang

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the steak):

1 flank steak (about 1.5 to 2 pounds)

2 scallions

Ingredients (for the marinade):

5 to 6 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin)

4 tablespoons juice from a can of pineapple

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 to 1.5 teaspoons finely grated ginger

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the meat.  Slice the meat (about 1/3 to 1/4 inch thick) against the grain at a steep angle.  Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Add the meat and mix well until evenly coated.   Marinate for at least 1 hour. 

2.  Cook the meat.  Heat a grill pan over high heat and add a few slices.  Lower the heat as necessary.  The marinade may burn if the heat is too high.  Cook until the meat is is cooked through and slightly caramelized, one or two minutes per side. 

3.  Finish the dish.  Serve the meat with any of the accompaniments associated with bulgogi.  In this case, I served it with thinly sliced red onions, scallions and carrots, with lettuce to serve as a wrap.

ENJOY!

Around the World in 80 Dishes: Ecuador

My culinary travels find me in Ecuador, a small South American country with diverse geographical regions, whether it is the coastal region along the Pacific Ocean, the high elevation of the Andes mountains or the rainforests.  Along the coasts, the food centers around fish, beans and plaintains.  As you move inland and into the Andres mountains, the cuisine changes to meat and rice.

While my culinary challenge requires me only to make a main dish, I wanted to create a meal that would require me to cook outside of my comfort zone.  Ecuador presents such a challenge because one of the quintessential dishes is Ceviche de Corvina or Sea Bass Ceviche.  There is some debate as to whether ceviche originated in Ecuador or Peru, but what is not disputed is that ceviche in each country is different.  In Ecuador, ceviche is typically fish or shirmp, but it is usually steamed for a couple of minutes before citrus is added.  In Peru, the fish or shrimp is raw when the citrus is added.  So, for my first time at making ceviche, Ecuador provides a good starting point since I would not be making ceviche from raw seafood.  In addition, I decided to make my own aji criollo, which is an Ecuadorian hot sauce to serve as a condiment with the fish.

To complete the meal, I decided to make a soup called Locro, which is a soup of potatoes, milk, and cheese and a drink called Cuaker, which is a pineapple oat drink.  All together, the warm soup and drink contrasted with the ceviche and the aji criollo made for some wonderful contrasts and an excellent meal.

THE APPETIZER

 LOCRO (Creamy Potato Soup)

Adapted from Ecuador Channel

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 pounds of potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)

2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 pound of Munster cheese
Salt to taste
2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Saute the onions.  Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the paprika.   Add onions and saute until translucent.

2.  Make the soup.  Add the water and bring to boil.  Then add the potatoes and reduce the heat, allowing the potatoes to simmer for about 15 minutes.

3.  Add the milk and cream.  Before the potatoes are fully cooked, add the milk and cream.  Stir occasionally to make sure that it is blended.

4.  Add the cheese.  When the potatoes start to brake up, add the cheese.  Salt to taste.

THE CONDIMENT

AJI CRIOLLO (Ecuadorian Hot Sauce)

Adapted from Laylita's recipes

Ingredients:
4 red or green chiles, seeded (red ones are hotter)
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 cup of water
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice
3 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
Salt, to taste.

Directions:

1. Add the chilies, cilantro, water, garlic and lime juice in a food processor.  Blend thoroughly.

2.  Pour the blended mixture in a bowl.  Add the onions and salt, to taste.

THE MAIN DISH

And on to the main dish, Ceviche de Corvina or Sea Bass Ceviche.  This is an excellent dish that is relatively easy to make.  For the fish, I used Branzino, which is a Mediterranean Sea Bass, with very flaky flesh and without a very fishy taste. 

CEVICHE DE CORVINA (SEA BASS CEVICHE)

Adapted from Galapagos Travel

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 fillets of sea bass (Branzino, Black, etc.)
1 red pepper, sliced thinly
1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 teaspoon of aji criollo
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Steam the fish.  Steam the sea bass for 3 minutes.  Turn once during steaming.  Once the flesh is white, remove the fish and place in a glass dish.

2. Prepare the citrus marinade.  In a bowl. mix the lemon juice, oil, parsley, aji criollo, onion, salt and pepper.

3.  Marinade the fish.  Pour the mixture over the sea bass and coat the fish thoroughly.  Let the sea bass stand for one hour.

THE BEVERAGE

Finally, this great meal needs a beverage.  I came across a recipe on Whats4eats.com for Cuaker, an Ecuadoran oatmeal beverage.  Cuaker is the Spanish word for "Quaker," as in Quaker oats.  According to Whats4eats.com, oat-based beverages are popular in Central and South America.  The concept of an "oatmeal beverage" fascinates me, so I decided to make the beverage.  The key to this recipe is to use real oats, not the instant kind.  I used steel cut oats to make the Cuaker for this meal.

CUAKER (Oatmeal Beverage)

Adapted from Whats4eats.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 Pineapple, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cups of water

Directions:

1.  Boil the ingredients.  Add all of the ingredients to a pot and bring it to a boil.  Reduce the heat medium-low and let the ingredients simmer for about 20 minutes.  Stir frequently.

2.  Strain the ingredients.  Remove the pineapple and cinnamon sticks.  Strain the remainnig liquid, pressing down on the oats to extract all of the liquid.  Discard the oats.

3.  Serve.  Serve the beverage chilled or warm.  (I prefer it served warm.)

*     *     *

Well, I have to say that this was a very good meal.  I learned about making ceviche and learned that I probably should have let it stand in the citrus for a little longer, but it was still good.  The locro was also very good and is an ideal soup for a cool, rainy day, which was today.  But, the star of the meal was the Cuaker, which is very good and, actually, would make a great holiday drink.

With my cooking adventures in Ecuador coming to an end, I need to start planning the next stop.  I can't wait.  Till next time....

ENJOY!