Korean pear, soy sauce, and fresh flavors come together in this vibrant and addictive dish to create a truly magical vegan bulgogi.
vibrant, delicious, vegan bulgogi
Vegan bulgogi is not something you probably hear too often. Heck, maybe you don’t even hear “bulgogi” anything too often. Odds are if you haven’t, you have no clue what you’re missing out on.
Bulgogi, (usually bulgogi beef, bulgogi chicken, or bulgogi pork), is a Korean BBQ dish. Typically, it’s meat that has marinated for many hours in heavenly Korean salty-sweet goodness, then char-grilled and served with some fresh green onions or vegetables over a bed of rice.
The addictive marinade that gives bulgogi it’s signature flavor is based on a blend of soy sauce, sugar, and Korean pear. The pear adds a lovely aroma and flavor that is unmatched.
If you want a more in-depth history of bulgogi, check out this quick and interesting read on it.
So, how can you possibly make bulgogi vegan?
It was a bit of thinking, a bit of research, and a bit of trial and error. I found soy curls to be the best substitute for the meat in this instance. I know, I know, there may be more “meat-like” substitutes out there. Not everyone has access to vegan meat substitutes, and they tend to run on the pricier side. Soy curls are at most grocery stores in the Asian food aisle and are pretty easy to work with.
Good old soy curls never disappoint when it comes to a tender, meaty, and chewy texture. They’re also AMAZING at soaking up any kind of marinade or sauce you put on them, which is perfect for a recipe like this.
Making the pickled carrot salad
This salad (or slaw) is super easy to throw together and is the perfect pairing for this vegan bulgogi. No fancy chopping or heavy knife work is required.
You can use either a vegetable peeler or a mandolin to thinly slice the carrot, daikon, and cucumber. Then, mix up the dressing and add the vegetables. Throw this into the fridge to marinate while you work, and it will be perfect by the time you’re finished.
You’ll love how light, crisp, and fresh this salad is. The vinegar, or “pickling” part, is what really makes this side shine alongside the vegan bulgogi. It’s a definite must for me!
How to prepare the soy curls
Rehydrating the soy curls is easy and straightforward. Throw them in a bowl, cover them with water, and wait ten minutes before straining them. That’s it!
After that, prepare the rest of the ingredients and place them all into a bowl. Add the soy curls and stir to combine.
Place a thin layer of plastic wrap over the surface of the marinade and soy curls. Then, add something heavy (think small plates, mugs, or cans) over the surface of the plastic wrap to help keep the soy curls submerged in the marinade.
Set this in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes, but no longer! Remember, soy curls aren’t meat; they can really soak up flavor pretty quickly. The flavor can actually get a bit too intense, and they can start to get soggy if you leave them in the marinade for too long.
After they’re done marinating, strain them over another big bowl to catch the marinade, and set them aside. (shown below)
Making bulgogi sauce
Traditionally, bulgogi doesn’t really have a sauce. The marinade itself is enough to suffice, and I’d argue that’s a possibility with this recipe too. That being said, I came up with a simple recipe for a sauce using the leftover marinade, and it adds a little extra glaze and char to the soy curls.
Put the leftover bulgogi marinade in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar. Bring it to a simmer, and then keep it at an active simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes. The sugar will slowly caramelize, the water will reduce, the flavors will sing, and the sauce will thicken.
I’d recommend starting your rice at this point if you’re making any. It will time out perfectly with the bulgogi.
Cooking the vegan bulgogi
Once the bulgogi sauce is finished, you’re ready to cook the soy curls!
Heat a tbsp of sesame oil in a wok or large pan. Once it is hot and shimmery, swirl it around the pan. Add the strained soy curls and vegetables. You’ll know your oil’s hot enough if it hisses the moment the food hits the pan. (It’s the best sound, really!)
Stir fry the soy curls for a while, at least five minutes. They need to brown and crisp up a bit. It’s okay not to stir 24/7. You don’t want to break up the soy curls from over-handling. Allowing them to stick to the sides of the hot pan from time to time will build up that desirable char.
When the sauce is ready, add it to the pan and cook the bulgogi for five more minutes. Once again, don’t overstir. Let the glaze char and caramelize on the outside of the soy curls for the best results.
Lastly, I like to add green onions and a few sesame seeds before turning off the heat.
Serve the bulgogi with rice, carrot salad, and enjoy!
This is truly one of my favorite dishes of all time. It’s nutritionally well-rounded but also balanced from a flavor standpoint. It’s just so dang satisfying. I feel like I could eat this for dinner every night and never grow tired of it. (I’m a little obsessed… Can you tell?)
Besides the carrot salad, freshly sliced Korean pears are also a perfect side snack to serve with this dish.
Best bulgogi quick tips
Here are a few tricks I’ve learned along the way in making this recipe:
- Use Korean soy sauce. It makes a big difference in the flavor of this dish!
- Use a Korean pear. Kinda similar to the last point, it matters.
- Don’t over-marinate. This is vegan, so the recipe is different. More time is not more when it comes to soy curls. Trust me.
- If you want that BBQesque char, you have to let the soy curls sit in the pan from time to time during the cooking process. Give it a minute or so between stirring.
If you love this recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments below and give it a rating. Share this dish with your friends, family, or on your social media. Tag me @alderspirit or use #alderspirit. I’d love to see how your yummy vegan bulgogi turns out.
Vegan Bulgogi (Korean BBQ) + Pickled Carrot Salad
Ingredients
Korean pickled vegetables
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 small daikon
- 1 medium cucumber
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Bulgogi Soy Curls
- 1 8 oz package soy curls
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 small carrot
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 bunch green onions
Bulgogi Marinade + Sauce
- 1/2 medium Korean pear
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1" piece ginger
- 3/4 cup soy sauce (preferably of Korean make)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tsp gochujang
- 2"' tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
Pickled Carrot Salad
- Wash all of the vegetables. Peel the carrot and daikon. Using a peeler or a mandolin to slice the carrot, cucumber, and daikon into thin strips.
- Place the vegetable strips in a small bowl with the remaining pickle salad ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the fridge to chill while you work.
Vegan Bulgogi
- Empty the package of soy curls into a medium bowl. Fill the bowl with water until all of the soy curls are covered. Soak the soy curls for 10 minutes. Drain off the excess water and set the soy curls aside.
- Prep the vegetables: peel the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and Korean pear. Using a peeler or a mandolin, slice the carrot into thin strips. Grate the pear on a box grater. Slice the onion and green onion into thin strips, and mince the garlic and ginger. Set the prepared vegetables aside.
- Add the grated Korean pear to a medium bowl along with the minced ginger, garlic, soy sauce, coconut sugar, gochujang, sesame oil, black pepper, and salt. (DO NOT ADD THE BROWN SUGAR YET) Mix the ingredients together to form the marinade.
- Add the soy curls, onion, and carrot to the marinade. Cover the bowl with a layer of plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the liquid. Add small plates over top of the marinade within the bowl to help keep the soy curls submerged. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Once the soy curls have finished marinating, remove the bowl from the fridge. Strain out the soycurls and vegetables from the marinade by pouring the contents of the bowl out over a large collander or strainer set over a large bowl to catch the drippings. These drippings are the leftover marinade we will use to make the sauce.
- Transfer the leftover marinade to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, setting the strained soy curls and vegetables aside. Add the brown sugar to the marinade and stir. Bring the marinade to a boil. Lower the heat to an active simmer. Simmer the sauce for 20 – 25 minutes or until it has begun to thicken into a glaze, stirring frequently. You'll know the glaze is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.
- Once the sauce has been cooking for about 10 minutes, start cooking the soy curls. Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large pot (or wok). Once the oil is hot and shimmery (approx. 3 minutes), swirl it around to coat.
- Add the strained soy curls and vegetables to the hot oil in the pan and stir frequently. Cook for 6 – 8 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened a bit and the onions are clear. Tip: Add a couple of tbsps of water every so often if you are ever finding the bottom of the pan is burning or sticking too much.
- The sauce should be finished thickening around this time. When the sauce is ready, add it to the pan with the cooking soy curls and mix to combine. Cook the soy curls for 3 – 5 more minutes, allowing the sauce to carmelize and char on some of the pieces.
- Add in the fresh green onions and a few pinches of sesame seeds. Stir to combine and turn off the heat.
- Serve the bulgogi immeadiately over a bed of steamed rice and with a side of the pickled carrot salad. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5 – 7 days. Enjoy!
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