This dish was made using the large nonstick frying pan (skillet) from the MEYER SPARK COLLECTION
Bulgogi (불고기) is Korean for ‘fire meat’. This popular barbecue dish is made with thinly sliced meat that is smoked until tender. The meat is generally marinated for several hours to enhance the flavours.
I have created the vegetarian version of this using spongey tofu and lily bulbs, sautéed in gochujang, sesame oil and black vinegar.
Why Spongey Tofu?
There are several varieties of tofu available in the market today. I use the soft tofu when I am making Thai tofu basil, or a steamed tofu but for this dish, I am using a firmer tofu. Using a firmer tofu variety will help absorb this homemade bulgogi sauce better, and the shape will also stay intact. If I were to use a softer tofu for this recipe, it would end up looking like a slurry mess.
I have used Chung Hua Flavoured Beancurd for this recipe. This firm tofu variety is covered with a layer of dark sweet flavoured tofu skin. I have used this variety to balance the hot red pepper paste (gochujang) and black vinegar marinade.
You can use any other vegetable, meat or seafood for this recipe! Just replace the tofu with anything else you like and it will taste just as good!
Lily Bulbs
Lily bulbs are the edible part of the lily plant. They are widely grown along the Yangtze River in China, and is frequently used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Lily bulbs are superfoods known the help with insomnia, relieve coughs, dry throats and help support heart palpitations. It’s a perfect winter vegetable. It is known to help calm the mind and heart.
I’ve added this superfood to this dish not only to increase the health benefits of this dish, but to also add a nutty crunch alongside the soft, spongey tofu.
Easy, quick and delicious
This dish was not created to make you spend hours in the kitchen marinating then barbecuing. I’m a mother of two young kids and hardly have enough time to make my own food, so this recipe takes 15 minutes to make.
Every step can be completed instantaneously, and the cooking time is an easy 5 minutes, especially if you’re using the right nonstick frying pan. I cannot stress this enough.
Tofu Bulgogi
Equipment
- 1 small mixing bow
- 1 Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 4 pcs tofu Chung Hua Flavoured Beancurd
- 1 lily bulb thoroughly washed and cleaned. You can add more if you like!
For The Flavouring
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 2 tbsps chives chopped
- 2 tbsps spring onions chopped
- 1 shallot minced
For The Sauce
- 2 tbsps Korean red pepper paste gochujang
- 2 tsps black vinegar
- 2 tsps maple syrup
- 2 tbsps sesame oil
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
- In the Large Nonstick Frying Pan spritz very little sesame oil (less than 1 tsp) and let it heat up over medium to low heat.
- Add the shallots. Sauté until it turns translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Stir for another few seconds
- Pour in the washed lily bulbs and sauté until this turns translucent as well.
- Add the tofu and sauté this together with the garlic mixture.
- Gently pour in the sauce, and cover with a splatter protector.
- Lower the heat and sauté everything together for about a minute, until the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle in the chives and spring onion and give it another toss before serving.
- This goes best with some Japanese rice or any of your favourite fried rice.
