When I moved to Korea in 2007, I had never been outside my home province in Canada and wasn't used to different flavours. My first few months in the country were largely spent trying to find dishes I "liked". Within six months, I was sold on most Korean foods, but for the first while I tried to find foods I could compare to foods from home. I mostly lived on pot noodles and steamed dumplings!

The other dish I immediately loved was bulgogi. This marinated beef dish goes back hundreds of years in Korean history and, besides kimchi (spicy, fermented cabbage), this could be one of Korea's most iconic national dishes. A combination of soy, sweet grated pear, ginger, garlic and sesame oil are perfectly balanced, making a sweet, salty, umami dish I absolutely adore.

The beef is usually grilled or stir fried, but it can also be made into a type of soup with mushrooms and glass noodles. The flavour is unique, but also reminiscent of something you would eat at home, it's very comforting and full of flavour.

I lived in Korea for three years and I often marvel at how similar Irish and Korean cuisines can be. Here, we have bacon and cabbage; there they have pork belly and kimchi. The amazing beef we have in Ireland makes a really excellent bulgogi; I used fillet steak this time, but sirloin or ribeye make equally delicious bulgogi.

You should always slice your beef when it's partially frozen; this ensures the thinnest slices possible, which will stay tender and take up more flavour. You can serve bulgogi with rice, seared mushrooms, steamed greens, raw carrot and cucumber slices and leafy lettuce (when you make a lettuce wrap with some rice and meat, it's called 'ssam'). I like topping mine with some peanut rayu sauce or Rivesci's Cashew Chili Crush. You can also add some fermented Korean chili paste to the marinade, if you have access to speciality ingredients.

This sweet, nutty and savoury dish goes well with rice or noodles, and can be made into a soup with the addition of beef stock.

\Janine Kennedy

Bulgogi (Korean marinated beef)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

500g partially frozen steak (sirloin, fillet or ribeye)

2 conference pears, peeled and grated

4-5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 green onions, roughly chopped

1 2-inch piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

50ml light soy sauce

30ml sesame oil

50ml vegetable oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

To serve (optional):

Seared mushrooms

Steamed pak choi

Chili sauce or oil of choice

Boiled glass noodles

Steamed rice

Kimchi

Directions:

1. Make the marinade: add the roughly chopped onion, garlic, ginger, and green onion to a blender. Add the sesame oil, brown sugar and soy sauce. Blend until smooth.

2. Slice the partially frozen steak as thinly as possible. Place in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Cover the meat with the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight).

3. Make some rice, steam your vegetables and sear off some mushrooms. Set aside.

4. Heat a sauté pan on high. Add the vegetable oil and then sear the marinated meat. Remove the steak from the pan to avoid over cooking but leave in the marinade. Allow the marinade to cook down and reduce before adding the meat back in. Coat the meat with the sauce and remove from the heat.

5 Serve immediately with rice, pak choi, mushrooms, or kimchi and glass noodles.