To mark the first game between two cities I have worked & lived this football season, I’m offering a combined favorite food beloved in both cities/county, (NYC/Fairfax County), Italian cheese and Bulgogi, Annandale in NoVA (Northern Virginia) is known as Koreantown of the East Coast—BulgogItalian Cheese Steak Sub.

This is one of the first Bulgogi mash-ups I’ll do for the blog, considered a favorite of Koreans and lovers of Korean food. It is so easy to prepare or is always available in any Korean grocery, big or small ones.

Ingredients:
Note: lbs/pounds – pkg/package – EVOO/extra virgin olive oil – Tbsp/tablespoon – tsp/teaspoon

2 lbs prepared Bulgogi OR thinly sliced ribeye or sirloin meat (recipe below)
1 pkg seasoned mung bean sprouts (recipe here)
1 pkg sliced or whole baby bella mushrooms, sauteéd for 12 to 15 minutes
3 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 lb sliced 4-cheese Italian blend (see here, available at deli counter, sliced to order)
4 mini cucumbers, shredded & seasoned (recipe below)
1 cup sliced prepared Kimchi (available @ Korean Store or even in some regular groceries)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 whole long Italian bread, divide in half for 4 servings, cut off ends and set aside for croutons or bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Sauté mushrooms in skillet with EVOO for about 12 minutes and then add sliced beef to the skillet. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or depending how you want the sliced steak done, turn off heat, set aside.
2. To assemble, remove ends of Italian bread (reserve for croutons or bread crumbs), divide into 2, and slice lengthwise.
3. Place shredded mozzarella on top side and sliced Italian blend cheese on bottom side and toast for 3 minutes or until cheese has slightly melted.
4. Top the bottom slice (with Italian Blend cheese) with Bulgogi mixture, mung beans sprouts, shredded cucumber and sliced Kimchi.
5. Combine the top & bottom pieces and for ease of handling, divide the sandwiches into two and place in serving platter. Serves 4.

For Bulgogi:
2 lbs prepared Bulgogi (readily available at big Korean grocery stores) – if not, get a 2- lb ribeye or sirloin, freeze it for 2 hrs, then thinly sliced
4 Tbsp jinganjang (Korean soy sauce introduced from Japan vs traditional soy sauce, gukganjang, see here)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp sesame oil
6 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp of black pepper

Bulgogi instructions:

1. Mix ingredients for marinade in a bowl.
2. Add the beef to the marinade and gently mix with hands.
3. Place in big plastic bag with zip and place in container to avoid spillage and cross contaminate in refrigerator. Marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
4. If using for a sandwich, follow instructions given above. Serving as Bulgogi, pan fry or grill on stovetop for less than a minute on each side, then transfer to a plate.

For Cucumbers:
4 Persian/mini cucumber or English (1) cucumber, shredded
1-1/2 tsp nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) OR 1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Do vinegar rinse (see here) cucumbers before shredding or grating to get rid of most of the bacteria.
2. In a bowl, combine shredded cucumbers, sugar, vinegar, water, red pepper flakes and sesame oil. Let it marinate for half hour.
3. Drain and squeeze,then it will be ready.

All rights reserved © The Chew Inn-NoVA Copyright January 2014.

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