Last weekend was an eventful one. We attended our dear friend Kris Kim‘s debut piano concert at KLPac and was immensely proud of him. Just brilliant. There were also long intense rehearsals for a gig we played on Saturday. The gig itself was, umm, different. Can’t say I’ve enjoyed that venue so much as the crowd just want to listen to classic canto pops and chinese pops while I prefer to have a little bit of control on my set list. Nevertheless it was fun working with this new group of musicians. More gigs to come!

Food wise, the other day when I came across the Wagyu Karubi (Short Ribs) in the supermarket, I immediately bought it with plans to make something else altogether. But for some reason cravings for Bulgogi Stew struck. Might have something to do with our Korean friend (the pianist). Hehe. The beef was intended for BBQ hence not as thinly sliced, but since it’s Wagyu beef there won’t be much of a problem for the meat to stay tender.

I love how Korean cooking is so simple yet the dishes are full of complementing and bold flavours. The “dry version” of Beef bulgogi isn’t something I’d order in the restaurant as I prefer the Spicy Pork version but serve me a bowl of Beef bulgogi stew and I would graciously accept it. I love the sweet and savoury combination.

Beef Bulgogi
100g Thinly sliced Beef
Half an Onion, sliced
1 small Carrot, julienned

Marinade:
3 tbsps Soy Sauce
1 tbsps Sugar
2 tbsps Asian Pear Juice (Omitted this time)
2 tbsps Mirin
2 tbsps Spring Onion
1 teaspoon Honey
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
Black Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Mix all the sauce ingredients and pour over the mixture of Beef, Onion and Carrot. Marinate for a few hours or best, overnight. You can just stir fry this to make the dry beef bulgogi dish at this point.

Bulgogi Stew
100g Marinated Bulgogi
1 Cup Water
1 Handful Green Vegetables (I used Bok Choy, Spinach is good too)
1 Handful Enoki Mushrooms, bottom chop off and cleaned
1 Handful Sweet Potato Noodles, soaked in boiling hot water for 4-5 minutes
Half beef boullion cube
Extra soy sauce if needed

In a claypot, add the marinated bulgogi, beef boullion cube and water. Cook until the water boils. Add the noodles.

Cook the stew for about 4-5 minutes, or until beef is done. Add the green vegetables and Enoki Mushrooms and boil for a couple more minutes on high heat. Then turn off the heat. Taste test. Add more soy sauce if needed.

Serve it as is, or with rice. I found the noodles filling enough so I didn’t add extra carbs.

Submitted this recipe to Recipe Box #8 by Bizzy Bakes

Using Wagyu definitely brought this dish to a whole new level. The beef was sooo tender, filled with tasty fat, the alternating textures with the crunchy enoki mushrooms, green vegetables and soft noodles, very satisfying. Soup was good to the last drop. This is something I’d make again and again.

On a sad note, the cats that I’ve been catsitting are going to be taken away tomorrow by another catsitter due to our impending Melbourne trip. I’ve grown very attached to these furry friends and will no doubt miss them very much. Does anyone have cats for me to adopt? It’s not ideal for us to actually have pets because I’m not sure how long I’m going to be staying in KL. It won’t be nice giving them away. I shall offer my service as a cat or dog sitter for now.