DISH #9 BUL GO GI WRAPS

I love Korean food and one of the first dishes through which I was introduced to the cuisine was Bul Go Gi, most memorably by the mother of my best friend from college, Jason Kwon. During college, once a year or so sophomore year through the end of college, J's parents would come to visit. When they did, his mother, Jeong-Hee Kwon, would make a feast of Korean food for us. Mrs. Kwon would feed about five or six college guys who hadn't eaten a home-cooked meal in months, walking in the door with a rice cooker, electric cooktop, and bags and bags of rice, beef, lettuce and kimchi. We'd eat until we were beyond stuffed but very, very happy.

These days, I've ventured beyond this gateway dish when eating Korean food, but it still remains a favorite dish. The components are simple: rice, beef, lettuce, cabbage and making the dishes aren't that complicated but it does take one thing if you're going to make the dish from scratch, time. Kimchi takes at least a day, maybe three to marinate properly depdending on your taste preference.

As much as I love this dish in it's own right, I've always thought that it could be slightly improved upon in one respect, it's presentation. The rice, seaweed, kimchi and beef are loosely wrapped in lettuce making for a Korean lettuce taco of sorts. It's delicious, yet messy. For my appetizer, I have tried to present the flavors of the dish within a cleaner, crisper format, a wrap, one that stays true to Asian ingredients. I wanted the wrap to stay Asian and I still wanted the beautiful ingredients to be fully visible so I had the idea of wrapping the bul go gi in some form within rice paper.

The dish needs to begin with the kimchi because while simple in method of presentation it takes at least a day to make.


Jeong-Hee Kwon's Kim Chi
1 Medium-size Nappa or Chinese cabbage
3-4 Tablespoons Sea Salt
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped finely
3 Shoots Green Onion, Chopped finely
2 Teaspoons Fish Sauce (I prefered 5 Tablespoons)
1 Tablespoon Hot Red Asian Pepper Flakes (I prefered 3 Tablespoons)
1 Teaspoon Sugar, Optional (Mrs. Kwon prefers it without)

Slice the cabbage into the size poritons you want the kimchi to take (I like them bite size). Wash the cabbage well three to four times. After washing take three to four tablespoons of salt and sprinkle it over the cabbage. Let it mix in and sit for 20 minutes. The water is going to seep to the bottom of the bowl-- throw it away. Rinse the cabbage once and leave it in a strainer 10-15 minutes to soften the cabbage.

Chop the garlic cloves and green onion shoots very finely. Add fish sauce, hot red asian pepper flakes (three tablespoons) and sugar with the chopped garlic and green onion to the cabbage. If you find it too salty add sugar if too bland add fish sauce. Obviously if it's not spicy enough add more pepper flakes. Put the cabbage in a jar, close it and leave it out overnight at room temperature. If you want it softer and more sour leave it out for 2-3 days (I left it out for two days). If crisper leave it out for a night and then put it in the fridge (Mrs. Kwon likes it crisper so she leaves it out for one night and then puts it in the fridge).

Mrs. Kwon's Bul Go Gi
1 LB Rib Eye Steak
Marinade (per LB Steak):
1½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
3 Teaspoon Sugar (1 tablespoon if you want it sweeter)
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 Garlic Clove, Chopped fine
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Accompaniments
1 Onion, Chopped Long
1 Green Onion, Chopped Fine
1 Red Bell Pepper, Macedoine

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, chopped garlic and freshly ground pepper. Throw the strips of meat in the bowl with the marinade and mush it together with your hands. Marinate for 10-30 minutes (she does 10 minutes). Jason says his mom cautions against marinating the meat any longer than an hour because it won't taste as good. Stir fry the steak in the marinade with one chopped onion, long slices, not diced. Mrs. Kwon uses a wok but you can use frying pan. Lately she's been adding, spring onion, asparagus and red bell pepper.

Follow Mrs. Kwon's recipes above for kimchi and bul go gi. For my adaptation I added the red bell pepper macedoine, the rice paper, the seaweed and a kimchi paste as well as a dipping sauce made from the same ingredients as the marinade.

Toro's Bul Go Gi Wraps
Steak
1 LB Marinaded and Cooked Rib Eye Steak

Rice
1 Cup Korean or Japanese Sticky Rice
1½ Cup Water

Garnish
8 Pieces Rice Paper
8 Pieces Seaweed
8 Pieces Romaine Lettuce
4 Tablespoons Kimchi, Ground into Paste
1 Tablespoon Asian Red Pepper Flakes

4 Tablespoons Kimchi, For Garnish
Red Bell Pepper, Julienne (8 Julienne)
8 Sesame Leaves (2 per plate)

Dipping Sauce
1½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
3 Teaspoon Sugar (1 tablespoon if you want it sweeter)
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 Garlic Clove, Chopped fine
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Procedure:

Once the beef is marinated get the rice going. Cook rice for about 20-25 minutes until soft. In a food processor make a paste of the first kimchi adding the flaked pepper. Lay out a piece of seaweed and spread out a layer of rice over it. Spread the kimchi paste on the rice then put the cooked bul go gi meat on top and roll it up. Soak the rice paper in some water-- be gentle. Wash the romaine lettuce and dry it very well. Carefully but tightly, wrap the seaweed with the lettuce. Lay out the softened rice paper and wrap the lettuce/seaweed/bul go gi wrap in it and press gently but firmly. I used clothespins to keep the roll in place until I was ready then I cut off the ends and sliced each wrap in the middle.

Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together over a low flame and serve with the wrap. Garnish the plate with a tablespoon of kimchi and red pepper julienne.

I was very pleased with the way this dish resulted. Not only were all of my favorite bul go gi flavors present but the wrap was neat and easy to eat. It made for a perfect appetizer, plenty of enticing flavors yet light and crisp. I hope Mrs. Kwon would approve.