Vegan Bulgogi (Korean BBQ “Beef”)

⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe

• Sweet, salty, nutty, and loaded with flavor. Combining soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil creates the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. Add some garlic, pepper, and ginger on top of that, and you have a flavor bomb.
• Meaty and chewy. Soy curls not only absorb the marinade incredibly well, but they also yield a very meaty texture.
• Quick and easy. This vegan bulgogi requires minimal prep time and just 5 minutes in the pan. It’s a great dish to make for dinner, you can even make it ahead.

📘 What is Bulgogi

Bulgogi (불고기) is a Korean dish that consists of marinated sliced beef grilled over a barbecue or fried in a pan. “Bulgogi” can be translated to “fire meat.” It is often served over a bed of white rice or wrapped in lettuce.

While the traditional recipe calls for puréed fruit like pear or kiwi, I omitted it. It is usually used to tenderize the meat, which we don’t need to do here.

🧄 Ingredient Notes

This vegan bulgogi is super easy to make and requires just 9 ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• Soy curls – Soy curls are a meat alternative made from soybeans. It is sold dried and must be rehydrated before being used. You can substitute it with vegan chicken strips or another kind of TVP.
• Soy sauce – For saltiness and umami. Use coconut aminos to make this recipe gluten-free.
• Sugar – To balance with the saltiness. I went with a combination of granulated sugar and maple syrup for a subtle caramel flavor. You can use light brown sugar or coconut sugar instead.
• Sesame oil – Use toasted sesame oil to add a nutty flavor.
• Cooking wine – Chinese cooking wine enhances the overall aroma by bringing sweet and sour notes.
• Garlic
• Ginger – I highly recommend using the freshest ginger you can find for the best flavor. Old ginger tends to be more fibrous and spicier.
• Black pepper – Freshly ground pepper adds a hearty and pungent flavor.
• Onion – Optional. Omit it if you don’t eat onion.
• Smoked paprika – Optional as well. I like to add a generous pinch of smoked paprika to recreate the smokiness of the traditional bulgogi.

🥣 How to Make Vegan Bulgogi

Start preparing the soy curls:

1. Add the soy curls to a deep bowl and cover with hot water.
2. Let them rehydrate for 15-30 minutes or until soft.
3. Drain and rinse the soy curls. Next, squeeze them to remove the excess water. Rinsing the soy curls helps get rid of the soybean flour taste.

Next, make the bulgogi:

1. Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
2. Marinade the soy curls. Pour the marinade over the drained soy curls and toss to coat. Cover with plastic film and let it marinade for at least 1 hour. This will allow the soy curls to soak up the flavors of the marinade.
3. Pan-fry. Finally, heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Once hot, add the sliced onions and soy curls, and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
4. Garnish. Top with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, and serve!

🍚 What To Serve with It

This vegan bulgogi is delicious served with steamed white rice or Clay Pot Rice, but can also be served with noodles or added to stir-fries!

You can also wrap it in lettuce leaves with some kimchi and/or spicy pickled cucumbers for extra crunch!

📔 Tips

• Use your favorite meat substitute. This recipe is quite versatile regarding the type of vegan meat to use. You can use shredded vegan chicken, tofurky strips, seitan, or even vegan ground meat. It also works great with tofu strips that have been frozen and then thawed.
• Rinse the soy curls. Rinsing the soy curls helps get rid of the soybean flour taste.
• Fry over high heat. Use high heat to char the soy curls slightly. The caramelization process will create a nuttier and sweeter flavor.

💬 FAQ

🇰🇷 More Korean-Inspired Recipes

If you are looking for more delicious vegan Korean-inspired recipes, you will love these:

• Kimchi Noodle Soup
• How to Make Vegan Kimchi
• Easy Vegan Tteokbokki

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!