Last Wednesday we had off for Veteran’s Day, and, as there’s nothing else to do in town, I invited my coworker Kimberly over to cook. She’s been to South Korea/loves Korean food, so it was a no-brainer to try one of the many recipes I have bookmarked with kimchi somewhere in the name. This one actually was just called Kimchi Fries on the website I found it, but I feel like that doesn’t really do it justice, as the bulgogi ends up being more significant both in time to prepare and in volume. Well worth it, though, we both really liked this!

Ingredients:

Bulgogi:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 small Asian pear
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound rib eye or sirloin, thinly sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for cooking

Caramelized Kimchi:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste – if you’re extra sensitive to heat, use less, but while we found the warmth noticeable, it wasn’t overwhelming to either of us)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup kimchi, chopped and liquid retained
• 1/2 onion

Everything Else:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha
• 1 pound french fries (you can make yours from scratch, or check the freezer section)
• grated cheddar or other cheese (we used jack for a bit more spice)
• toasted sesame seeds
• chopped green onion
• sour cream (optional)

Using a food processor or blender, combine the beef marinade ingredients: the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onion, Asian pear, water, sesame oil, and black pepper. Transfer the blended mixture to a large ziplock and add the sliced beef. Squeeze out the excess air, seal the bag, and rotate in all directions to thoroughly coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Preheat the oven and begin to cook the fries according to package (or recipe) instructions.

Once the beef has marinated, heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Lay the meat in a single layer in the pan and cook several minutes on each side, until browned. You will probably need to do multiple batches to avoid crowding. When finished cooking the beef, you can clean out the pan before moving onto the next step, but…why bother? Everything’s all going to end up together soon enough… Set aside the cooked beef somewhere to stay warm.

In a medium bowl, combine all the caramelized kimchi ingredients and stir together.

Cook in the same pan over high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thickened, and there isn’t liquid left to run across the pan as you stir it.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and sriracha.

Transfer the cooked fries to a large serving platter. Top with the cheese, then the bulgogi and kimchi.

Drizzle some of the sriracha mayo over the dish, then garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions. Add a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serve with additional sriracha mayonnaise.

These will be best still hot from the oven/stove, but if you have leftovers, your best bet is to toast them back up in the toaster oven to minimize fry sogginess.

This is a bit of a mess, but it’s a mighty delicious one!

Kimchi Bulgogi Fries

From Notions and Notations of a Novice Cook.

Bulgogi:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 small Asian pear
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound rib eye or sirloin, thinly sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for cooking

Caramelized Kimchi:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste – if you’re extra sensitive to heat, use less, but while we found the warmth noticeable, it wasn’t overwhelming to either of us)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup kimchi, chopped and liquid retained
• 1/2 onion

Everything Else:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha
• 1 pound french fries (you can make yours from scratch, or check the freezer section)
• grated cheddar or other cheese (we used jack for a bit more spice)
• toasted sesame seeds
• chopped green onion
• sour cream (optional)

Using a food processor or blender, combine the beef marinade ingredients: the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onion, Asian pear, water, sesame oil, and black pepper. Transfer the blended mixture to a large ziplock and add the sliced beef. Squeeze out the excess air, seal the bag, and rotate in all directions to thoroughly coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Preheat the oven and begin to cook the fries according to package (or recipe) instructions.

Once the beef has marinated, heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Lay the meat in a single layer in the pan and cook several minutes on each side, until browned. You will probably need to do multiple batches to avoid crowding. Set aside the cooked beef somewhere warm.

In a medium bowl, combine all the caramelized kimchi ingredients and stir together. Cook in the same pan over high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thickened, and there isn’t liquid left to run across the pan as you stir it.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and sriracha.

Transfer the cooked fries to a large serving platter. Top with the cheese, then the bulgogi and kimchi. Drizzle some of the sriracha mayo over the dish, then garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions. Add a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serve with additional sriracha mayonnaise.