Bulgogi Beef Udon Stir Fry, Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
International dishesNoodlesKorea1 hour 30 minutes, including marinating time
The marinade is what makes this dish. The hard part is the slicing: across the grain and evenly thin, because thick slices are still bare inside after a full hour in the sauce.
Once the beef is firm and the onion soft, the meat is pushed to the side of the pan so the sauce runs into the middle, and only then do the noodles go in for 3 to 5 minutes of tossing.
This batch weighs about 1.4kg, at roughly 190 calories per 100g. Scatter toasted sesame over and serve it with kimchi to cut the richness.
Method
Rinse the beef under cold running water, rub it lightly with a little salt, rinse again and pat it dry with paper. With a sharp knife, slice it across the grain into even thin slices.
Trim the roots from the leek, rinse it and cut it into thin slices on the diagonal. Peel the onion, put it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes so it is easier on the eyes, then slice it thinly lengthwise.
Mix the bulgogi sauce: combine 4 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 7 tablespoons Korean soy sauce, 2 tablespoons plum extract, 1 tablespoon mirin, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon minced onion and 2 tablespoons minced garlic. Stir until dissolved.
Put the beef in the bowl of sauce and work it through with your hands. Add the sliced onion and leek, cover it and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
Bring a pot of water to a hard boil and cook 400g udon noodles over medium heat. Once the strands separate and soften, lift them into a bowl of ice water so they do not stick.
Heat 3 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan over high heat and add the marinated beef. When the meat firms up and browns and the onion is soft, push everything to the side of the pan so the sauce runs into the middle.
Put the noodles into the middle of the pan and season with 1 tablespoon Korean soy sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Toss with chopsticks for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Poach the egg: heat a pot of water over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt, stir, slide in the egg and lift it out after 3 minutes.
Put the noodles in a bowl, lay the beef over the top, set the poached egg on it and scatter 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds. Break the yolk and stir it through as you eat.
Tips
Korean plum extract can be swapped for apple juice or pear juice at the same amount, still giving a clean sweetness and softening the beef.
Mirin can be swapped for ordinary cooking wine.
Keep the Korean soy sauce, as it is the signature note of bulgogi sauce.
Slice the beef across the grain and evenly thin so it takes the sauce in 1 hour.
Stir fry the beef in small batches, since crowding the pan makes it release liquid and lose the charred edges.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.