Ditch the delivery and whip up a make-ahead recipe for Easy Beef Bulgogi Bowls served with pickled veggies and fried eggs.
This is the true definition of a “meal in-a-bowl”: marinated beef Bulgogi, pickled cucumbers, spicy kimchi and a fried egg, all served atop a bed of rice. Lunch, dinner and/or leftovers is done!
The real secret to restaurant-worthy Bulgogi is to very, very thinly slice the beef. The thinner it is, the faster it will cook and the more tender and melt-in-your-mouth it will be.
Slicing a raw steak at room temp can be difficult, so here’s the trick: Pop the beef into the freezer for about 10 minutes then grab your sharpest chef’s knife and start slicing. The quick freeze helps firm up the fat, making the steak easier to slice to your desired thickness (i.e. THIN!).
This marinade knocks every flavor element out of the park. It’s savory (hello, soy sauce!), sweet (I see you, brown sugar!), sour (shout-out to the rice wine vinegar!) and loaded with a garlicky, gingery punch. The longer the beef sits in the marinade, of course the more pungent those flavors will be, so don’t hesitate to toss it all together a day in advance and save yourself some prep time when hunger calls!
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Ingredients
For the beef bulgogi:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce or Gochujang Chili Sauce, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons minced ginger
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
- 2 pounds ribeye or top sirloin steaks, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (See Kelly’s Note)
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
For assembling the bowls:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 4 fried eggs
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought kimchi
- 1 English cucumber, cut into ribbons
Instructions
Make the beef bulgogi:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger and shallots.
- Add the sliced beef to the bowl with the marinade and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate the beef for a minimum of 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil then using a slotted spoon, add the marinated beef, searing it quickly on all side and being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer the beef to a plate.
Assemble the bowls:
- Divide the rice among four serving bowls and top it with the beef bulgogi.
- Top each bowl with a fried egg, a portion of kimchi and cucumber ribbons. Serve immediately.
Kelly’s Note:
- To thinly slice the steak, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to help it firm up before using a sharp knife to cut it into thin slices.
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Absolutely delicious!! I only marinated for 30 minutes and it was still so flavorful. Definitely will make again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Erika!
I was hungry for asian food ( the small town we live in is extremely limited) so I wanted an easy recipe to satisfy my “been to Korea” Husbandand myself. Well this worked!!! I used only 1 tbls of Sriracha sauce. But other wise per directions. Very Good will keep and do again mainly cus it was easy. FYI used Aldi Sirloin Steak and cooked the last of the marinated for a sauce.
Yay! I’m so thrilled you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Amber!
I just made this recipe and it was a huge hit with the whole family. Thanks for sharing,and keep up the good work.
I’m thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Jack!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I’ve made this many times but now use monkfruit brown sugar instead to keep it keto friendly. I also add broccoli to add vegetables. Wonderful dinner!
I’m so happy to read that you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Toni!
My husband and I have made this recipe several time now. We LOVE it!!!
I’m so happy to read this, Caroline!
I can’t believe how delicious this was! I added avocado and passed on the eggs. Made it with brown rice and pickled red cabbage. Out of this world!
2 lbs. of beef was too much for us, but we will have amazing leftovers.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Barbara!
This meal is fantastic, the flavors are explosive and just what I was looking for! Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome, Paige! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
This came out beautifully, even my first fried egg was perfect! The flavors were wonderful, and the household was very pleased with the results! Highly recommend!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Caitlin!
What did you pickle the cucumber ribbons with? They look very simple….all the pickled cucumbers recipes I’m finding have a lot of spices and I do not want to mask the bulgogi flavors in this recipe!
Hi Kelly! You can soak the cucumber ribbons in rice wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar, or follow this recipe for Pickled Cucumber Noodles (and just make ribbons, if you prefer): https://www.justataste.com/chilled-sweet-and-sour-cucumber-noodles-recipe/ :)
Hi what’s the brand of your soy sauce? Thanks
Kikkoman!
What is all the Nutrition facts on this meal?
Hi Shane – You can find the estimated nutritional info by clicking on the purple button below the recipe that says ESTIMATED NUTRITION INFORMATION. :)
This one is a definitely keeper. I have 5 kids and they all have completely different taste in food. This is one of the 1st meals in a while they all ate. We have tried a ground beef version with a sour cream Sriracha sauce. My oldest loves it everyone else didn’t . But this version everyone loved and surprisingly everyone ate the Kimchi I made.
Love reading this, Victoria! I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe!
Absolutely delicious and addicting! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, this has become famous on our weekly rotation.
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Sarah!
Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing. Does the recipe also work for pork?
Absolutely!
Love this! I used a london broil and it totally worked. SO glad my cousin made this for us when she was visiting back in October. We now love this recipe.
Yay! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Kelli!