Bulgogi-jeongol (Bulgogi Hot Pot)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow jeongol pan, 12 inches or 30 cm, or a shabu-shabu pot
• •Portable tabletop burner
• •Fine strainer or slotted spoon
• •Box grater
• •Kitchen scissors
• •Clean tongs for raw beef

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the noodles

   Put the dangmyeon in warm water for 25 minutes, then drain and cut the long tangle once with kitchen scissors. Do not add more than 80 grams for this pot. Too much noodle turns jeongol into a starch pot, and it steals the broth before the beef has done its work.

   If the noodles soften early, drain them and toss with 1 teaspoon of the measured sesame oil from the marinade. They will wait without clumping.
2. 2

   Make the broth

   Put the water, kelp, and cleaned anchovies in a pot over medium heat. When the water reaches a gentle simmer, pull the kelp out right away, because kelp left too long turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies 10 minutes more, then strain. You should have about 4 cups of clean broth. Season it with the soup soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then keep it warm.

3. 3

   Mix the marinade

   In a large bowl, stir together the grated pear, grated onion, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, minced garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, and black pepper. Taste a drop from a spoon. It should be salty-sweet, but not candy-sweet. The pear tenderizes and sweetens cleanly, so the sugar can stay modest.

4. 4

   Marinate the beef

   Separate the beef slices with your fingers, add them to the marinade, and turn gently until every piece is coated. Let the beef sit 20 minutes at room temperature if cooking soon, or refrigerate up to 2 hours. Thin beef does not need the night. Long soaking with pear and soy makes it soft and salty.

   Use clean tongs or chopsticks for the raw beef until it is cooked through in the pot. At the table, this small discipline keeps dinner comfortable.
5. 5

   Arrange the pot

   Use a wide, shallow jeongol pan, about 12 inches across. Lay the sliced onion and cabbage on the bottom as a sweet bed. Arrange the tofu, shiitake, oyster mushrooms, enoki, carrot, scallions, soaked dangmyeon, and most of the minari in separate bands around the pan, keeping the colors clear. Mound the marinated beef in the center and spoon any marinade over it. This arrangement is not vanity. It lets the table see what is being shared, and it lets each ingredient cook at its own pace.

6. 6

   Add the broth

   Set the pan on a portable burner at the table. Pour 3 1/2 cups of the warm broth around the edge of the pan, not directly over the beef, so the arrangement stays intact until the simmer begins. Keep the remaining broth beside the burner. Dangmyeon drinks as it cooks, and a jeongol cook should be ready.

7. 7

   Simmer and loosen

   Bring the broth to a lively simmer, then use clean tongs to loosen the beef slices into the broth. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning the beef once or twice, until it has just lost its red color and the mushrooms are tender. Do not boil hard for a long time. The broth will cloud, and the beef will tighten before anyone has had a proper first bite.

8. 8

   Taste and finish

   Taste the broth only after the beef has cooked, because the marinade seasons the pot as it releases. If it tastes flat, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon more soup soy sauce. If it tastes too strong, add some of the reserved broth or a splash of water. Scatter over the remaining minari, sliced red chili if using, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Let the greens soften for 1 minute, then start eating from the pot.

9. 9

   Serve at the table

   Keep the burner low once the first round is cooked. The beef is best eaten early, while the noodles and mushrooms can stay a little longer. Add reserved broth as the level drops. Serve with rice and banchan (side dishes), and let people take from the center. That is the meaning of this pot.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for bulgogi-cut beef, sliced paper-thin against the grain. If you are slicing at home, freeze the beef 30 to 40 minutes first. Cold beef cuts clean; warm beef tears.
• •Keep the sugar low. Bulgogi-jeongol already has pear, onion, cabbage, and sweet mushrooms in the pot. If the broth tastes like dessert, you have lost the beef.
• •A wide pan matters more than a deep pot. Jeongol needs surface area so the ingredients can sit in clear sections and cook evenly. A shabu-shabu pot or a wide saute pan on a portable burner works well.
• •Cook the month you are standing in. In late autumn and winter, use napa cabbage and shiitake. In spring, minari is at its best. If your greens look tired, use crown daisy or spinach and add it at the very end.
• •Do not wash mushrooms under running water unless they are gritty. Wipe them or trim them. Mushrooms already carry water, and a wet mushroom gives less flavor to the broth.
• •For a larger party, make two smaller pots instead of one crowded pan. A jeongol should simmer freely. Crowding turns it into a pile.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Keep it lightly seasoned, because the marinated beef will season the pot later.
• •The marinade can be mixed 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Add the beef only 20 minutes before cooking, or up to 2 hours ahead if it must wait in the refrigerator.
• •Vegetables and mushrooms can be cut up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them covered and chilled, with the greens wrapped separately in a damp towel.
• •The pot can be arranged, without broth, up to 1 hour ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to the table cold, add warm broth, and start the burner there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 750g)