The Keys to Umma's Pork Bulgogi
A few tweaks can add a fresh twist to a classic dish.
Like any recipe that is more than 1000 years old, bulgogi has a general end goal with multiple ways to get there. We think Umma’s version is the best. Here's a look at how she makes this Spicy Pork Bulgogi so special.
Perilla Leaves
“Perilla” is a broad term for Perilla frutescens, a species of plants in the mint family, the leaves of which grow in shades of grass green and reddish purple and are used extensively in East Asian cooking, particularly in Korean and Japanese cuisines. Korean perilla features verdant, spade-shaped, saw-toothed leaves with aromas that include the minty, citrusy, green apple, and geranium notes common to all types of perilla in addition to the hints of spice, camphor, apricot, and peach that make this cultivar distinct.
(Note that shiso, widely used in Japanese cooking, is the same species as perilla. However, there are multiple varieties of shiso with distinct characteristics, and they should not be used interchangeably with Korean perilla.)
Shopping and Storage:
Look for bright green, blemish-free perilla leaves. Smaller (3- to 4-inch) leaves are less tough. They keep in a sealed bag in the fridge for up to three days.
The Marinade
Here are the key marinade players and their role:
Tenderizers: Ginger, acids (lemon juice, white vinegar, maesil cheong [plum extract syrup]), salt (fish and soy sauces) - Ginger’s protease enzyme zingibain breaks down protein in meat so that it softens. Acids and salts weaken the attraction between the meat’s adjacent muscle fibers, increasing its tenderness and moisture-holding capacity.
Sweeteners: Sugar, maesil cheong - Sugar browns at a relatively low temperature, which means you’re not overcooking your meat while you’re waiting for the surface to develop color.
Fat: Toasted sesame oil - Besides adding distinctly nutty, rich flavor to the surface of the meat, an even coat of toasted sesame oil on the meat encourages uniform browning and also prevents sticking.
The Meat - Pork Cushion
Pork cushion is a triangular, boneless, 2- to 3-pound roast cut from the anterior section of the picnic shoulder on the pig’s foreleg. It’s a well-exercised muscle and thus relatively lean (especially compared with pork butt, which sits just above it) and loaded with connective tissue—traits that make it more economical than pork butt and well suited to the low, slow, tenderizing heat of barbecue. It’s also a standard cut for pork bulgogi, for which it’s commonly sliced thin to shorten the muscle fibers, promoting tenderness, and to minimize the cooking time. Many Korean markets sell packages of presliced pork cushion for bulgogi, but skinless pork belly makes a good (albeit fattier) substitute.
Umma's Method
Tossed in a hot, oiled wok, the thin slabs of pork cook through in minutes. You’ll know it’s almost done when its exuded juices sizzle in the pan and coat the pork. Then, when the meat is about a minute shy of fully cooked, Umma stirs in thin-sliced onion, carrot matchsticks, and scallion lengths, giving the wok contents a quick toss so the vegetables lose their raw edge and soak up some of the pork’s savor while staying crisp.
The last addition to the wok is Umma’s favorite: a big handful of perilla leaves—the citrusy, minty, camphoraceous aroma of which goes so well with rich, spicy foods like pork bulgogi.
Wrap up the bulgogi in a lettuce leaf with a scoop of steamed rice and slip a fresh perilla leaf inside the bundle. It’s a way to give a fast meal an extra boost of aroma and freshness.
