-
1
Marinate the Bulgogi Beef
20 Mins (mostly waiting)
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Toss the 320 g sliced sirloin with 30 ml soy sauce, 12 g sugar, 40 g grated pear, 10 g minced garlic and 15 ml sesame oil. Leave for 20 minutes. The pear's enzymes gently tenderise the beef while the soy and sugar build the sweet-savoury bulgogi flavour.
Do not marinate longer than 30 minutes — the pear will make thin beef mushy.
Done when: The beef is glossy and evenly coated; no dry patches.
-
2
Cook the Rice
25 Mins
Simmer at about 95°C (203°F), then rest off the heat
Cook the rinsed 300 g dry rice in 360 ml water: bring to a boil, cover, simmer on low for 15 minutes, then rest 10 minutes off the heat. Fluff with a rice paddle. You need 700 g of hot, just-cooked rice — it must still be steaming when it meets the stone bowl.
Never lift the lid while the rice simmers, or the steam escapes and the top stays hard.
Done when: Grains are tender and separate, with no crunch in the centre.
-
3
Cook the Five Namul
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Blanch the spinach 30 seconds and the bean sprouts 2 minutes, squeeze dry, and season each with a pinch of salt, a little of the remaining garlic and a few drops of sesame oil. Sauté the carrot matchsticks 2 minutes, the zucchini 3 minutes until just soft, and the shiitake 3 minutes until browned, in the 15 ml vegetable oil with the remaining 15 ml soy sauce split between them.
Cook each vegetable on its own and season lightly — they are meant to taste of themselves, not of the pan.
Done when: Each vegetable keeps its own colour; nothing is limp or watery.
-
4
Fry the Beef and the Eggs
8 Mins
High heat, about 200°C (400°F); beef to 71°C (160°F)
Sear the marinated beef in a hot oiled pan for 3–4 minutes until browned at the edges and cooked through — beef must reach 71°C (160°F). Fry the 4 eggs sunny-side up in the same pan, keeping the yolks runny. The yolk is not decoration: it is the sauce that binds the bowl when you mix.
Do not crowd the pan or the beef steams instead of browning; cook in two batches if needed.
Done when: Beef is browned and cooked through; egg whites are set and yolks still jiggle.
-
5
Heat the Dolsot and Assemble
5 Mins
Stone bowl heated to about 200°C (400°F)
Heat the stone bowls (dolsot) over high heat for 3 minutes, brush the inside with sesame oil, and pack in the hot rice. Arrange the five namul in separate wedges around the bowl, lay the beef on one side, set a fried egg in the centre, and spoon gochujang on top. It should sizzle loudly as you carry it to the table. Mix everything together vigorously at the table before eating.
Handle the bowl only with a wooden base or thick cloth — it stays dangerously hot for 10 minutes.
Done when: The rice crackles against the bowl and a golden crust (nurungji) forms at the bottom.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the moment it is assembled, while the bowl is still sizzling, with extra gochujang and sesame oil on the table. Mix from the bottom up so the crisp rice, egg yolk and gochujang coat every grain.
South Korea
45m
France
Vietnam